An Unlikely Romance
by The Wandering Fool
Summary: To her, he was the unlikely hero, her savior. But who would've thought the unexpected bond that formed between them would grow into something much more than just friendship. LevyxGajeel, quite a lot of LucyxNatsu. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **The pairing is LevyxGajeel, because I think they're perfect for each other. Updates will be pretty irregular, seeing as I write whenever I have free time. Enjoy the story!

**Chapter 1**

Gajeel walked along the streets of Magnolia, his path lit by tall, black lamps situated at regular intervals. He raised his head and spied the moon in all its glory, surrounded by a sea of stars. Although most people would've found this view to be a pleasure to behold, to him it was nothing special.

After a long, tiring day at Fairy Tail he was on his way home, planning to do nothing but sleep the night away. When he had first joined the guild he had had his doubts about the place. And all of them had been confirmed upon entering the newly built castle. The room had been filled with almost every mage belonging to the guild, with the exception of Natsu and the rest of his team. They had received Gajeel pretty well; most of them brandished their weapons, bloodlust appearing in their eyes, and the rest attacked him in the hopes that 10 against 1 might give them an advantage. Of course this was highly unlikely, but Juvia had managed to block their attacks, trying to explain to them why he was there.

"I invited him!" Juvia had yelled over the battle cries echoing throughout the hall. "He's not going to harm anyone!"

The mages didn't believe the Element Four mage, but when Makarov had spoken up in support of her they backed off, unable to go against their master. All they could do was glare at the Dragon Slayer as he made his way to the bar and asked Mirajane to hurry up and give him some damn scrap iron already. The dirtiest looks had been sent by Jet and Droy, while a rather horrified Levy had scampered to the table farthest away from the guild, terrified by the man's mere presence.

It wasn't as if Gajeel had wanted to join the guild in the first place. But with Master Jose defeated in a mere minute and Phantom disbanded for good, Juvia's invitation to Fairy Tail seemed like a pretty sweet deal for him, even if he had totally wrecked the guild and hospitalized one of its many teams.

That was how things had been in the beginning. Nowadays, after helping save Magnolia from Luxus's lightning lacrima, and keeping the guild's 'good' reputation while Natsu's team was away fighting the Oracion Seis, he only received a few silent threats and death glares, and most people had grown used to his presence in the guild. If anyone pointed this out to Gajeel he would declare he really didn't give a damn, and this was almost completely true. In his eyes all the fairies were one and the same, and had no significance in his daily life.

Allowing his thoughts to accompany him on his long walk home, he began to make his way past one of Magnolia's many alleyways when he heard a loud _crunch_, and suddenly his vision was clouded by dust. He coughed and waved his hand in front of him, the dust swerving and curving around his fingers.

The sound of laughter emerged from the alley, and a couple of groans followed suit. The former Phantom mage raised an eyebrow, wondering whether he should just ignore it and walk away or find out what was going on. Curiosity got the better of him and he silently walked towards the laughter, taking cover behind a large dumpster. He winced as the stench of the garbage wafted into his nostrils, for once cursing his enhanced sense. He tried to block out the smell by covering his nose with his hand, but realised that other scents he recognized were floating around as well, scents that were normally present in Fairy Tail.

"You bastards!" someone yelled, coughing on the last word. The voice was surprisingly close. Gajeel poked his head out, and had to suppress the urge to laugh at the sight in front of him. Jet, the annoyingly fast mage who always somehow managed to bother the Dragon Slayer with only his presence, was lying against a large crater in the wall behind him, coughing up blood. He slid to the ground, where another person was lying face down. If the scent of the man hadn't been enough to identify him, his odd stem-like hairstyle certainly clinched it.

Jet glared at two dark figures in front of him, one arm wrapped around his chest and the other pressed against the crater, supporting his weak legs. Droy lay motionless beside him, obviously knocked out by whatever had hit the two before.

_What fools, _Gajeel thought with a twisted sense of glee, a grin forming on his face. _I should just leave them here; after all you reap what you sow._

He turned to leave but froze when a certain scent caught his attention. Glancing back at the scene he had just moved away from, he realised that there were three people in the shadows. Looking closely, he could clearly see two muscular, almost identical men standing beside each other. His suspicions were confirmed as he recognized the third figure standing – well, _kneeling,_ – in front of them. Her clothes were torn and covered in dust, and her arms were bound to her sides by loops of thick, brown rope. A large, callused hand covered her mouth, muffling any sound she tried to make.

Gajeel looked away from the sight and began to retrace his steps, exiting the alley rather quickly. This wasn't his problem, those fairy pests should have been able to take care of themselves. After all, they should've learnt by now that it wasn't safe to take a path through random alleyways this late at night. You were supposed to learn from your past mistakes, not repeat them.

He took a few steps forward, completely intent on just walking away and pretending he hadn't seen or heard anything, but couldn't help glancing back at the alleyway again.

"...Shit."

* * *

><p>"Well girly, looks like it's just you and us now."<p>

Levy flinched as the man stroked her cheek, an eager and hungry look in his eyes. He was squatting in front of her, one hand under his jaw and the other still on the side of her face, preventing her from turning away. His comrade was behind him, tossing Jet's limp body to the side like a worthless doll, smiling as he landed with a _thump_ on top of Droy.

"I hope you didn't kill them," the man commented, not even glancing back. "That'd cause us a lot of trouble."

"Of course not," his comrade said. "They won't be going anywhere for a while, though."

Levy bit her lip and held her breathe, trying to ignore the lump in her throat. She would not let these men have the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She had been forced to watch as her friends were beaten to a pulp, made worse by the fact that no matter how many times she tried to beg the men to stop, they simply ignored her and continued their relentless attack. Her partners had tried to protect her, but she had no way to protect them. Was all this pain really worth preventing her from coming to any harm? She'd rather have fought alongside them instead of being a mere spectator, but in this situation she was useless, and she hated it.

_How did we get into this? _She asked herself miserably. The Solid Script mage tried to look over the man's shoulder to see if Jet and Droy were alright, but he brought his face down in front of hers, blocking her view with his wicked, toothy grin. She grimaced as he brought his lips closer, wincing as they brushed her cheek and headed towards her ear.

"No-one's gonna save you now, darling," he whispered, his disgustingly warm breath blowing over her ear. "If I were you I wouldn't struggle."

His hand snaked towards her shirt, and Levy did the only thing she could to stop him. She leaned her head down and snapped her teeth closed on his hand, causing the man to emit a deafening howl. He removed his hand from her clutches and backhanded her cheek, sending her skidding across the gravel, small, sharp stones tearing into her skin. She grit her teeth, trying to bear the ache in her jaw.

"Oh, she got you good, Bullion," the man's partner chuckled.

"Shut up, Vice," Bullion snarled. He started towards the girl, fists clenched so tight that his knuckles were turning white. "She's gonna get it now."

He was so focused on her that he didn't notice a glint of light reflecting on a metallic surface in the shadows, nor did he see the long iron pillar heading towards him until Vice yelled out "Bullion, watch out!" However it was too late as the pillar had already reached him, slamming into his chest and thrusting him into the dumpster on the opposite end of the alley.

"Bullion!" Vice ran over to his partner, who was slumped against the dumpster, a small stream of blood making its way down his chin. He moved his hands to his partner's chest and experimentally placed one on it, recoiling as the man let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Don't...touch...ribs...broken..." Bullion gasped, his eyes rolling back into his head

"Who the hell was that?" Vice yelled angrily.

He was answered with the sound of footsteps, followed by a tall figure emerging from the shadows, red eyes blazing with satisfaction. Levy tried to look up to see who it was who had saved her, but found she didn't have the strength to move.

Vice stood up and glared at the stranger standing in front of him, slightly unnerved by the smile on his opponent's face.

"That was boring," the man complained, barely even glancing at Bullion. His eyes moved to Vice. "Maybe you can entertain me?"

Levy's eyes widened as she recognized the voice of her savior. _Gajeel? _She thought, more surprised than relieved. _Why is he here? _As desperately as she wanted to look up and to see what was going on, she suddenly felt herself getting very drowsy, the past hour's events finally taking their toll on her. Darkness began to envelop her mind, and the last thing she heard before she slipped into her deep sleep was her attacker cry "Shut the fuck up!" followed by a loud crunch, and then silence.

* * *

><p>Voices swarmed through her head, relieving her of the ability to form a single coherent thought. She attempted to understand what these voices were saying, what they wanted from her, but this wasn't possible. It all just seemed too hard, too confusing, and all she wanted to do was to go back to sleep and rest her weary mind. Why should she have to focus on the sounds around her? No, she'd much rather they left her alone.<p>

"Le...ear...me?"

Levy's fingers twitched as she tried to make sense of the jumble that had decided to join all the other murmurs in her mind. Before she had a chance to interpret it the whispers soon ceased, and a loud, clear voice cut through the silence.

"Levy...can you...me?"

Hearing the sentence a bit more clearly was a big help to the mage, but she still couldn't comprehend what exactly the voice was trying to say. It was a lovely voice though, gracefully winding through the recesses of her mind as it tried to convey a message to the girl. But what could it be? And was it really that important?

"Levy-chan, can you hear me? Please, wake up!"

"Lu...chan?" Levy sighed, the words barely audible.

Lucy sat up straight, a relieved grin spreading across her face, "Finally! I was afraid you'd never wake up!"

Levy gradually opened her eyes, allowing her pupils to adjust to the lighting in the room, which seemed to be unnaturally bright to her. The first thing she saw when her sight was restored was Lucy's smiling face, and somehow it relaxed her, allowing her to nestle into her bed more comfortably. _Wait...when did I get here?_

The mage sat up straight, suddenly recalling the events in the alleyway. How on earth could she have forgotten about it? "Where are Jet and Droy?" she almost yelled, grabbing Lucy's shoulders as hysteria started to get the better of her.

"They're right in front of you," Lucy replied, turning her friend's head in the direction of the two beds opposite hers. There lay her teammates, both of the boys fast asleep and snoring very loudly. Levy wondered how she hadn't noticed them before when she had first woken up. "Wendy already healed the worst of their wounds, and now they're just sleeping it off."

"...I see," Levy murmured, raising a hand to her cheek, which had a large plaster stuck to it. She realised that her arms were wrapped in clean, white bandage. There were more bandages wrapped around her torso, which she soon learned ached when she leaned forward. She gazed at the rest of her body, realising she was wearing a white tank top and large grey sweats that she didn't remember putting on. "What happened to us?"

"That's what we were going to ask you." The Stellar Spirit mage shifted around in her chair, trying to find a comfortable position. Once she was happy, she continued. "We found you guys completely knocked out in front of the gates. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you, Levy-chan! So we brought you in here and tended to your wounds. It's been a day since then, and you're the first one to wake up."

Levy massaged her temples, pain suddenly rearing to life in her head. "We...they were walking me home...and then we were jumped by two guys...we thought we'd have no trouble getting them to leave us alone...but they used some kind of magic that made them much stronger than we had expected. They tied me up and then they...they...they relentlessly attacked Jet and Droy...I think we were saved by someone, but for the life of me I can't remember who."

"It's okay, you don't have to remember everything right now," Lucy said soothingly, gently pushing Levy down onto the bed and covering her with the sheet. "Just go back to sleep, okay?"

She followed Lucy's orders and closed her eyes, allowing all her worries to slip away into nothingness as she answered the beckons of her dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Ah yes, I forgot to mention that this does start before the Edolas arc. And just for a heads up the romance between the two is going to develop slower than others, so you're going to get a lot more LucyxNatsu before anything else. And it all gets a bit lighter after this, not much darkness I should think. Thank you for your reviews, alerts, favourites, they really make me happy! Enjoy the story.

For a while Lucy just sat next to Levy's bed, watching her friend sleep soundly, a small smile present on the girl's face. She didn't know who it was that had rescued Levy, nor how or why, but whoever it was, she was extremely grateful to them. After all it was thanks to them that the blue-haired mage hadn't been hurt too badly, although she couldn't say the same about Jet and Droy. What would've happened to her if she hadn't been saved was something that Lucy refused to think about.

The blonde was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear the door at the far end of the room opening, nor did she notice that someone had walked up behind her until they placed a hand on her shoulder. She let out a loud squeak and would've fallen out of her chair if a pair of strong arms hadn't caught her and held her steady.

"Jeez, Lucy, you scare too easily," Natsu said. Lucy's cheeks turned a deep shade of red and she quickly scrambled out of his grasp. Behind her Levy stirred, obviously disturbed by the noise they had made.

"Shhh!" she ordered, putting a finger over her lips. Natsu raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say a word he was being forced out of the room by his teammate. He stayed quiet until they were on the other side of the door, deciding it would be best not to make Lucy angry.

"You were in there a while," he commented as she slowly pulled the door towards her, allowing herself to breathe only when she heard the 'click' that confirmed it was shut.

"I was talking to Levy-chan," she explained. Heads snapped up at this information, and Lucy could feel all eyes on her as she repeated what Levy had said to her. The guild fell silent and soon the only voice that could be heard was the Stellar Spirit mage's. A bit unnerved by all their stares she continued nonetheless, and when she finished a minute later the whole room was filled with chatter as they discussed what they had just learnt.

"They were jumped in an alley, eh? Shouldn't have been a problem for them."

"Didn't you hear, they weren't just any old thugs, they were mages."

"No man goes and attacks a woman and her friends at night!"

"So what would you call them, Elfman?"

"Never mind that, who do you think saved them?"

Silence ensued at this question; in truth no-one was sure how the Shadow Gear trio had ended up in front of the guild's gates. They had been so shocked to find the unconscious mages that they hadn't even considered it until just now. Soon people were throwing around ideas like 'a superhero!' and 'a ghost!' and all other kinds of nonsense, none of them able to make a good, educated guess because they simply had no idea who could've rescued the three.

Gajeel was sitting on one of the many stools lined up in front of the bar, listening to all the speculations with mild amusement. It would only take a few words from him to clear the confusion, but there wouldn't be any point in letting the guild know that he was the one who had saved Levy and her friends.

In truth, he didn't know why exactly he had saved them. He had been fully intent on walking away and letting them handle themselves, but before he knew it he had gone back into the alley, beat the shit out of the two thugs, only to be met with the question of what to do next. He could have left the fairies, but that wasn't practical. For all he knew they'd probably end up dead if no-one treated whatever wounds had been inflicted onto them, and then he would've been in deep shit. So he had taken them back to the guild and tossed them onto the sidewalk, deciding that someone would find them sooner or later.

"Gajeel-kun, what do you think?" Juvia asked, bringing him out of his reverie. The Dragon Slayer merely shrugged and waved at Mirajane, a signal for her to bring his usual meal of bits and pieces of scrap metal.

"I think it must've been Gray-sama who rescued them," the Element Four mage commented, hearts appearing in her eyes as she pictured Gray heroically defeating the evil villains of the alleys with merely a flick of his wrist. "He must be too shy to admit it, though."

Gajeel smirked at her theory, but Juvia didn't see it, too far gone in her fantasy to notice anything around her. Mirajane brought him his 'food' and he dug in, biting through the chunks of iron as if they were paper. It seemed like for now the only interesting thing there was to do was eat, and he didn't mind at all.

* * *

><p>"Well, well, good morning, sleepy head!"<p>

Levy pulled her blanket to the side and sat up straight on her bed, her legs dangling off the edge, causing the tips of her toes to lightly brush the floor as they moved back and forth. She glanced at Jet, who had just greeted her. He was sitting cross legged on top of his bed, his lower body covered by a thick wool blanket. His jaw and the right side of his face were covered in bandages, and although she couldn't see under his clothing she knew there were more dressings.

"How bad is it?" she asked, averting her gaze. He seemed confused for a moment before he realised what she was talking about.

"It's alright, I guess," Jet shrugged, grinning cheekily at her. "Dislocated my jaw but Wendy fixed that right up. A few cracked ribs, a twisted ankle, broken nose, pretty much the same as Droy over there, only it's not as bad on him 'cause they knocked him out first. Then again all these injuries are healing up really quickly! You have to love those Dragon Slayers."

The blue-haired mage looked at Droy, who was still fast asleep. She wrapped her arms around each other but gasped as pain shot up them, the bruised skin underneath the bandages still very sensitive.

"Levy-chan, are you okay?" her partner asked. By the way she refused to look at him he knew that she was feeling guilty for what had happened to them. "None of this was your fault, you know. We chose to go down that alley, we chose to fight, so don't go blaming yourself for what happened to us. Besides, you got hurt pretty badly as well. You should be worrying about yourself."

"But if I were stronger...if I had been more useful...you wouldn't have had to rescue me," she said, her throat beginning to feel constricted. "I should have been able to help you guys!"

"You're stronger than both of us combined! We were caught off guard, it happens! I bet you won't find one mage here who hasn't been jumped and had their asses whooped. In the end, we're sitting here safe and healthy, and just outside the door all our friends our waiting for us to wake up." Jet pushed himself off his bed, and limped over to Levy's side, placing a bandaged hand on her shoulder. "We'll work harder, and push ourselves to get better, together. All three of us."

He flashed a reassuring smile at her and she grinned at him. His eyes widened as she leaned over, placing a light kiss on his forehead. "You're far too nice," she commented, standing up. "Let's go eat? I'm absolutely starved!"

As she walked towards the door Jet collapsed onto his bed, his head ceasing to function properly. The Solid Script mage shook her head and left the clinic, quietly shutting the door behind her so as not to disturb the sleeping Droy. She looked around and realised the whole guild had gone silent, all eyes on her as she nervously ran a hand through her messy blue hair.

"LEVY!"

She barely had time to react as everyone pounced on her, smothering her with their cries of delight and bear hugs. They were all ecstatic; after all, she was finally awake!

"Erm, you guys, that kind of hurts," Levy complained, although not too loudly. Secretly she was really enjoying being embraced by her fellow fairies, even if it was an unpleasant situation for her arms and torso.

"You guys, c'mon now, let's give her some air!" Lucy yelled, pushing through the bodies towards her friend. "I think Jet and Droy might be awake now, too!"

The blonde managed to pull her friend out of the crowd as they all squeezed into the clinic, more shouts of joy as they realised that their wounded companions had finally awoken. Levy and Lucy made their way to the bar, where a certain Dragon Slayer was still eating his scrap iron, completely oblivious to the ongoing chaos.

"Are you hungry?" Lucy asked, manoeuvring her friend onto one of the many bar stools. She didn't wait for an answer and went behind the bar to prepare a meal, since Mirajane had gone off to the clinic with the rest of the Fairy Tail mages. Levy decided to take the opportunity to let her mind drift, finding her thoughts going back to two nights before. What was she forgetting? It seemed like her memory of it was incomplete. She knew she had bitten one of the men, resulting in a stinging blow to her cheek, but why had she woken up in the guild safe and sound?

As Levy's eyes roamed the room as if in search for an answer, they repeatedly landed on Gajeel, who hadn't moved from his spot during all the commotion. She stared at him intently, trying to figure out why exactly she was suddenly so interested in him. All he was doing was finishing off the 'food' on his plate. That wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

From the stool a few feet away from Levy's the ex-Phantom suddenly felt unnerved. He glanced to his right and realised that the bookworm had her eyes on him, unblinking as they scrutinized his every aspect.

"What?" he growled defensively, feeling the need to and hide his face. Realisation seemed to cross her face as she smacked her fist into in her palm decisively, an excited 'That's it!' escaping from her lips. He raised an eyebrow and continued to watch her, deciding that she must still be half-asleep.

"You saved us, didn't you, Gajeel-san?" she asked, satisfaction present in her voice. "I knew I had forgotten something!"

"Wait, _Gajeel_ is the one who saved you?" Lucy exclaimed, nearly dropping the bowl of steaming ramen she had made. She placed it on the bar and walked over to him, ignoring the fierce glare he directed at her. "Why didn't you say anything this whole time?"

He shrugged and stood up, unwilling to be interrogated by Lucy. The Stellar Spirit mage smiled knowingly, and turned to Levy. "Well, well, it looks like Gajeel isn't as bad as he'd like everyone to think. Seems like he cares more about this guild then he lets on."

"Hardly," the Dragon Slayer muttered, walking towards the door. He didn't want to be there when the bunny-girl told everyone about his valiant act. As he opened the door he hadn't realised he had been followed until he felt a small hand brush his arm.

"Um, Gajeel-san, please wait a moment," Levy said, assuming that he would probably ignore her. But he stayed put, and she found the courage to continue. "Thank you for saving me again. For saving us, I mean."

He grunted in response and left, leaving the girl standing in the doorway staring after him. For some reason she felt almost sad to let him leave like that, but she managed to tear her gaze from his shrinking figure and went back to the bar. The smell of the ramen Lucy had made floated into her nose and her stomach growled in response.

The blue-haired girl greedily began to tear into her food, not even bothering to sit down but instead choosing to lean on the bar. "Lu-chan, would you mind keeping the fact that Gajeel -san saved me between us?" she asked, keeping her gaze on her food.

"Sure, I guess," Lucy agreed, a bit confused. Why would Levy have requested that? And what on earth had she just witnessed a few moments before? It seemed like something had passed between her two fellow guild members, but she had no idea what. She didn't have time to think it over, however, as the rest of the guild finally decided to appear, bringing with them a smiling Jet and a dazed Droy.

Led by their master, they all crowded around the bar, moving around so that the three Shadow Gear members where in the middle of the gathering. Makarov jumped onto one of the stools and raised a hand, requesting silence.

"Everyone, this is a joyous occasion!" he yelled. "Let's drink to our friends' quick recovery!" A loud cheer reverberated throughout the room, soon followed by laughter and the handing out of large mugs of sake (of course, Cana took a barrel for herself, but there was still enough left to go around).

The members of team Shadow Gear could only shrug and allow themselves to enjoy their boisterous company, and proceeded to spend the rest of the night getting completely drunk and partying like crazy.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Lots of LucyxNatsu to be expected in this chapter and the next. Enjoy!

As Gajeel walked down the sidewalk that would soon lead to Fairy Tail, he tried to picture how the fairies had reacted after the blonde bunny told them about his heroic deed. After all, she must've let it slip that he had saved the Shadow Gear trio; the girl didn't seem like someone who would keep something as shocking as the cold-hearted Iron Dragon Slayer going out of his way to help someone. Of course, after he had helped save Magnolia from Luxus's wrath it shouldn't have been so surprising to them, but the fairies still hadn't warmed up fully to him yet, although he had to admit their attitudes towards him had improved since then.

He reached the doors and sighed, steeling himself for what was bound to be a painful morning. He pushed the large door forward and walked in to the guild's main hall. Of all the things he had been expecting, none of them had been this.

Strewn across the floors, tables and bar were most of the members of the guild, completely unconscious and sporting goofy smiles on their faces. The room had a faint smell of sake and overcooked food, which could be seen both on the tables and all over the floors. Gajeel realised that they must have been partying that night, and cursed himself for missing the chance to load up on some free sake. Looking around again he noticed that a certain blue-haired mage wasn't anywhere to be seen, whereas her teammates were lying next to each other on the stage, each of them clutching a microphone. Obviously some wild events had taken place after he had left.

"Wow," someone breathed from beside him. He turned his head and realised that Levy was standing next to him, gazing at the scene in front of them with awe. She was wearing a loose purple tank top and black shorts, with a matching black hair band holding her wavy blue hair high above her head. Although she still hand the bandages on her arms she had removed the large square plaster she had been wearing on her cheek, the blow to it leaving nothing more than a small pink mark on her face. "They really went at it, huh?"

"You weren't with them?" Gajeel asked, for lack of anything else to say.

"I went home early, I wasn't feeling very good," Levy replied, spotting her teammates on the stage. "I sure do hope someone remembers what happened last night so they can explain it to us."

She received a grunt in reply, but she didn't plan to let the Dragon Slayer ruin her good mood with his abysmal one. "By the way, Lu-chan didn't tell anyone that you saved us." Gajeel's eyes slightly widened as he processed this information. "It seemed like you didn't want anyone to know, so I asked her not to."

"...Thanks," he muttered. Levy looked at him, utterly surprised. Had he just thanked her? Was this reality, or was she dreaming? She lightly hit her forehead with the bottom of her palm, feeling a bit silly for thinking that, resulting in a puzzled stare from the man next to her. A blush rose to her cheeks as she realised how odd she must have looked, and she turned back to the guild, the situation becoming rather awkward. After all, they were just standing there, saying nothing and doing nothing, while their fellow fairies were completely knocked out just a few feet in front of them.

"I'm going to go look for a job to do," she said aloud, more to herself than to Gajeel. She began to walk into the hall but was stopped by a jolt of unbearable pain running through her arm. It was so intense that she would've fallen onto her knees if the cause of her pain hadn't still had a firm grip on her elbow.

"You still need time to heal," the ex-phantom commented, pulling her up onto her feet. "Going on a job would be suicide."

"You could have just told me instead of grabbing my arm like that," Levy angrily muttered, feeling the bandages on her throbbing arm loosen. She gasped as they fell apart to reveal the dark purple splotches covering her arm. She had known that she had been hurt, but she hadn't realised just how bad her injuries really were. "Oh, wow...I think I should go buy some ointment. Gajeel-san, would you mind accompanying me? The store is...near that alley...and...I...erm..."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow, enjoying the Solid Script mage's obvious nervousness. She started to re-wrap her bandages, avoiding looking at him. But why was she asking him to go with her? Couldn't she get her two lapdogs to tag along? Oh, right, they were passed out. _She's probably asking me just because there's no-one else,_ he decided, pleased with himself for coming up with such a logical explanation. After all, even though the girl appeared much more comfortable around him than she had been in a while, it seemed like she still wasn't desperate to spend time with him.

"Gajeel-san?" He realised he hadn't answered her question and gave her a slight nod in confirmation, confused by the wide smile she gave him. "Let's get going then!" She merrily skipped along the road and he followed close behind, accepting that one way or another these fairies would be the death of him.

* * *

><p>Lucy sighed and pressed her cheek against the warm surface beneath it, slowly entering the realms of consciousness. She could feel an unbearable pounding in her skull and groaned. What had she done last night? The question faded from her mind as she felt something wrap itself around her torso, pulling her closer to whatever she was lying on. What was it again? The mage could vaguely recall partying the night away many hours before, but she had no idea when she had fallen asleep, or where, for that matter.<p>

The aching in her head would be ignored no longer, so she decided it was time to get up and find something to remedy the pain. She tried to move but found herself trapped by whatever was around her waist. If she had to guess what it was she would say it was an arm, but that was ridiculous. Why would there be an arm there?

"Hmm..."

Now where had that sound come from? She felt her 'pillow' vibrate with the noise and shift around beneath her. It was moving? It seemed to be lifting her up into a sitting position, and she would have fallen over if what definitely felt like an arm hadn't been supporting her. The blonde began to open her eyes in an unenthusiastic effort to awaken but shut them tightly when the surface she was leaning on began to speak.

"Hey, Happy, Lucy's hair smells really nice," it commented. _That's Natsu's voice!_ Lucy thought, panic rising in her chest. _So that means that I was sleeping on him and oh my gosh his arms are around me and I was LYING on him and oh my gosh what on earth is going on?_

"It's because of that peach shampoo we saw in her bathroom," Happy replied from somewhere in front of her.

"I like it," the Dragon Slayer embraced her tightly, leaving not even the smallest gap between her cheek and his chest. He rested his chin against the top of her head, which felt oddly comfortable. "I hope she doesn't wake up right now. She'll just run away from me if she does."

"She's really weird," Happy agreed. Lucy ignored this comment and instead thought about what Natsu had just said. _He said he doesn't want me to run away...Well, he's right, I actually would do that, it was my first instinct when I realised he was holding me...but does that mean that he wants me to stay with him, like this? But this position is far too intimate for friends! What is he thinking?_

As she considered pretending to wake up and somehow escaping this incredibly awkward situation, she felt Natsu's hold on her slowly loosen. She sighed in relief, and ended up regretting the action when her teammate spoke, his voice dangerously close to her ear.

"Lucy...are you awake?" he asked, tightening his hold on her to prevent her escape.

"How about we just pretend I'm not?" she requested, opening her eyes and glancing at him. His face was inches away from hers, his eyes burning with something she had never seen in them before.

"You're not even trying..." he murmured to himself. His seemingly random statement puzzled Lucy. What was he talking about?

"You're right, Natsu!" Happy yelled excitedly, zooming over their heads. "Then it's true! She llllllllllikes you!"

"Eh?" Lucy's face turned a brilliant shade of red, and the pink-haired mage holding her chuckled to himself, finding her obvious embarrassment rather amusing. He didn't realise that his grip on her had weakened until she shot out of his arms like a bolt of lightning.

"Wait!" he yelled, pushing himself off the ground and chasing after her. He cursed himself for being so careless, yet even so he couldn't help feeling slightly elated, his blonde partner's blush having been, in his opinion, an obvious confirmation that she felt more for him than she let on. But was he willing to admit his feelings for her? He figured he didn't have to; his actions in the guild should have been a pretty obvious sign. "Lucy, hang on!"

He slowed down when she was out of his field of vision, considering that maybe she needed a bit of time alone. After all, he wasn't a girl, he didn't know what went on in their heads, but it seemed like he had definitely surprised her.

"Jeez, Lucy, I really wish you'd stop running away."

* * *

><p>"Here we are!"<p>

Levy placed another small container onto the alarmingly large heap of medicinal objects in Gajeel's arms. The Dragon Slayer sighed, annoyed with all this unnecessary shopping. They had gone to the pharmacy for _one_ jar of ointment. But for some reason she had suddenly decided that she needed more than just that jar, and they had spent one whole hour going through the store's entire stock of medicines.

"I'm so sorry for making you carry all of this, Gajeel-san," the small blue-haired mage apologized, leading him towards the owner of the shop, whose eyes were glowing at the thought of how much money he was going to make with this sale. "It's just that I think a lot of this would really be helpful for Jet and Droy."

Gajeel didn't bother to answer, instead choosing to dump his burden onto the owner's desk in front of him. He couldn't understand why on earth she was still more concerned about her friends' welfare rather than her own. This girl was either far too selfless or just plain stupid. But whatever she was, it wasn't his problem. All he knew now was that he was bored, and he really wanted to go kick something. Or someone. Whichever proved to be more entertaining.

His thoughts were interrupted when two large paper bags blocked his view of the world around him. A slightly muffled "Hold these, please," came from behind the bags. He took them from Levy and she grabbed the last one from the counter once she had received her change.

"Thank you very much!" she called back as they left the store. The shop owner waved at them, and they started walking down the road. "Let's head back to the guild and get these to the clinic. Oh, but I'm starving! Are you hungry?"

Gajeel began to open his mouth to say no but his stomach betrayed him, letting out a rather loud growl. Levy couldn't help giggling, and the Dragon Slayer's fierce glare only added to her laughter. As he tried coming up with an effective way to silence her he didn't notice her suddenly stop moving, and collided into her back, almost causing them both to drop their shopping.

"What the hell?" he growled, moving in front of her. Her attention wasn't directed at him, it was directed at the small alley next to them. The ex-Phantom rolled his eyes and walked into the alleyway, wondering whether those two shitheads were still there. Even though he hadn't left the fairies there to rot, he certainly hadn't extended the same courtesy to those buffoons. If they were still alive he figured he could probably beat them black and blue all over again. Unfortunately there was no-one there, just the dented dumpsters, a broken wall and blood stains that they had left behind. "Ugh, just my luck. C'mon, let's go already!"

He walked back on to the street and only realised Levy had ignored him when she didn't move an inch, her eyes facing the alley but not actually seeing it. "Oi!" he called, nudging her with his elbow. She blinked a few times and looked at him, then smiled. This seriously unnerved him, but he said nothing.

"You know, next time I won't need help," she stated matter-of-factly. "I'll be able to take care of myself."

Unsure of how to reply he decided to nod, hoping it would satisfy her. This had the opposite effect, though, and she looked ready to bite his head off. What, was he supposed to say something? It felt like he was, but really, he had no idea what to say. He could just tell the truth and tell her that she'd need to seriously work on improving her skills if she wanted to come even close to his level, or he could just stay silent. That seemed like the better choice, so that was exactly what he did. And she didn't like it.

"Are you mocking me?" she asked, gripping her bag tightly. "I'm being completely serious. Sure, I'm not the strongest mage right now, but I'm going to improve. So I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't stand there and stare at me like I'm some sort of lunatic. Could you please just say something?"

"Look, get stronger, stay weak, do whatever the hell you want," Gajeel replied. "But if you need someone to rescue you, I'll be there."

He gave Levy a wicked grin and started down the sidewalk again, leaving her standing in front of the mouth of the alley, scarlet and utterly speechless. _Eh?_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Yay for LucyxNatsu! And even more yay for GajeelxLevy! Thank you for your reviews, and for adding this story to your favorites/alerts, you guys are amazing. :D I'm sad to say that since half-term is over for me updates will probably be a lot slower, but I'll still try to keep them as frequent as possible. Enjoy!

Lucy loved books. Whenever she read she felt like she was being whisked away into another world, where nothing harmful could reach her. It was a feeling that she had carried with her from her childhood and into her teens. When she was in her books, she was safe. And that was why she had chosen to take refuge in Magnolia's public library, in the 'Adventure/Romance' genre section. She was sitting on the ground and leaning on the shelf, attempting and failing to read one of the many interesting books she had found. It was impossible for her to concentrate when there was something else occupying every corner of her mind.

_Why does he have the ability bother me even when he's not actually around? _The Stellar Spirit mage mentally groaned, trying to banish a certain pink-haired dragon slayer out of her head. But unfortunately for her just willing the memory to go away wouldn't make it go away. After all, how could she even dream of forgetting the fact that she had woken up in his arms, or that he had been consciously holding her tightly, unwilling to let her go? His actions had basically shown her that he felt much more for her than just the simple platonic love that most friends and teammates shared. But how exactly did she feel about him?

It was a question that Lucy couldn't simply just answer. And that was understandable, right? After all, during her long stay in Fairy Tail she had grown considerably close with most of her fellow mages, especially Natsu. He had always been there for her when she had needed someone, and had always been able to provide her with reason to smile whenever she was down. Just imagining not having met him on that fateful day with their run-in with the fake Salamander was hard for her to bear. But what did that all of that tell her? Her head was telling her that it was completely normal to think about a close friend like that. The stirring in her chest told another story.

"Which one do I listen to?" she asked the empty aisle. She received no response, except for a slight breeze coming in through one of the open windows. Frustrated and tired, Lucy decided she should go home. After all, she was accomplishing absolutely nothing by sitting here and mulling things over. Maybe a nap would help clear her head. Or a bath. The idea was certainly appealing, so she hurriedly left the building and started her long walk home. The sky was blue at first, and Lucy enjoyed the view of a few white clouds drifting across it. But then more clouds came, and the sky changed to a dark, gloomy grey, blocking out the sun's light and casting a large shadow over the area.

The blonde continued her balancing act down the edge of the canal, ignoring the small drops of rain that splattered against her face and arms. Who cared if she got a bit wet? Her apartment was only a few minutes away now, and she had already settled on the idea of a nice hot bath once she got there.

However, before she knew it the amount of rain had increased drastically, and she ran the rest of the way home, soaking wet by the time she reached her door. With an unnatural speed she unlocked it and hurried inside, a small smile forming on her face as a blast of warmth hit her once the door was closed. _Ah, that's nice, _she thought happily, tossing her soaking wet jacket to the floor. _It feels like I'm sitting in front of a fireplace._

"You really take your time getting home, don't you?"

"Huh?"

Lucy kept on looking straight ahead of her, praying that the voice she had just heard did not belong to the person she had been planning to avoid for the rest of the day. A flash of pink appeared in the corner of her eye, and she swivelled around to make a run for it, only to be forcefully pushed onto the wall. She tried to move but two long, muscular arms were blocking her on both sides.

"Sorry I pushed you," Natsu apologized, grinning cheekily but never once moving. "It's just that you won't listen to me unless I force you to."

"Do you need to talk to me about something?" she asked, feigning ignorance as her cheeks took on a light pink tint.

Her teammate leaned in closer to her, until their faces were merely inches apart. She tried to create some distance between them by pressing herself against the wall, but it had no effect. "Please, don't pretend you don't remember what happened," he said, his breath blowing across her nose. "I...I need to tell you this Lucy. I just...I can't get you out of my head! You're always there! And at first I thought that I was crazy so Happy told me I should go ask the Master for help, but when I explained the situation to him he called Mirajane over and then I had to tell her what was wrong. Then she smiled at me and said I might like you more than I think, but Happy told her that was crazy, 'Because Lucy's a total weirdo who sometimes gets really creepy looks on her face'. But then I woke up this morning, and you were there with me, and it felt right somehow, and I realised I didn't want to let you go. But then you woke up and you ran away, and you're always running away from me...why do you have to do that? Are you scared of something? It's not like I'm going to hurt you. I like you Lucy, I _really_ like you, and I want to be able to hold you in my arms all the time without you trying to escape."

"Um..." Lucy didn't know how to respond. It was hard for her to think straight with Natsu's face hovering right above her own, his eyes fixated on hers. What did he say again? Oh right, he had basically just confessed his feelings for her. "Um...Natsu, I –" She was silenced by the Dragon Slayer's soft lips meeting her own, and suddenly she was in his arms, pressed against him so tightly that not a hint of light could pass between them. Her whole body felt as if it was on fire, and she basked in the feeling, losing all sense of reality in that one moment. And then he let her go, and she slumped against the wall, feeling dazed and rather weak in the knees.

"So, Lucy, what were you going to say?" he asked, plopping down beside her feet. She slid down next to him and rested her cheek on his shoulder, surprising him. He watched her stare at the wall opposite them, her eyes not quite seeing it but instead, something else. There was no way he could see the turmoil raging in her head.

_What should I do? _She asked herself, glancing at her teammate beside her. He was watching her intently, his dark eyes focused on her own. It felt as if he could see more than just the brown of her irises, like he was looking deep into the recesses of her soul, every inch of it bare for him to see. In that instant all her confusion vanished, and it seemed as if the answer to her question had been there the entire time, lurking in her subconscious.

Lucy moved her hand towards Natsu's and entwined her fingers with his, feeling a bubble of emotion inside her when a wide smile appeared on his face.

"You really should've done that sooner."

* * *

><p>When Levy had offered to buy Gajeel lunch, she hadn't realised it would it mean walking to the local mechanic's to purchase spare bits of scrap iron for the ex-Phantom. Well actually, rather than paying for his meal she had ended up watching him threaten the mechanic into giving him everything for free. Now she couldn't help but feel extremely guilty for just having stood in the doorway instead of attempting to stop him.<p>

"Oi, fairy, what do you want?"

She blinked and looked up, quickly returning to the real world. They were seated in a small sushi restaurant that she had gone to once before with Jet and Droy. It was a rather cozy place, with its wooden floors and checked tablecloths and curtains. Only a few other tables were occupied, which was a great relief to her; it meant that her food would come quickly. Outside the rain was bearing down on innocent pedestrians, absolutely soaking them to the bone. The two mages had only just managed to make it into the restaurant before it had started pouring, and both considered themselves to be very lucky.

Looking over the menu, Levy decided that she would try the Chef's Special, whose ingredients weren't listed, because "the head chef is paranoid that someone will steal his recipe," their waiter had told them. She opened her mouth to call the waiter and inform him of her order when a flash of lightning lit the darkened sky outside, and the small lights hanging from the roof faded to a dim glow for a moment before disappearing completely.

A chorus of groans echoed throughout the room; both the customers and waiters were extremely dismayed. Without any light it was almost pitch black inside, except for a few weak rays of light streaming in from the windows.

"Someone find the candles!" one of the employees yelled. This order was met by the sounds of drawers being slid open and shut, followed by a thud and some muffled curses. Obviously locating the candles wouldn't be as easy as everyone hoped.

"Just our luck, eh?" Gajeel muttered, resting his chin on his palm. The small blue-haired mage opposite him sighed and imitated his actions, trying to ignore the rumbling in her stomach. She was extremely jealous of the man in front of her, who had been lucky enough to eat his 'food' before they had chosen to eat here. As her eyes adjusted to the light she couldn't help noticing the deep crimson glow of the Dragon Slayer's eyes, completely focused on his barely visible boots. His eyes swiftly shot up and met hers, and she couldn't help feeling a bit unnerved by his stare.

"Something wrong?" he asked, noticing the odd look on her face. She shook her head and pointed to her stomach.

"I'm just hungry, that's all," she sighed, laying her forehead on the table. She was so focused on her hunger that she didn't hear the chair across from hers scrape across the floor, nor the loud footsteps getting closer and closer to her. She only realised that the ex-Phantom had gotten up when he his hand engulfed hers and pulled her off her seat.

"H-hey, what's this for?" she exclaimed, pounding on his waist as he picked up their three shopping bags with his free hand and headed out the door. They were met with a fierce blast of cold wind and icy cold rain pounding against their faces. Levy muttered a string of profanities while struggling against Gajeel's grip, and moved so that she was being pulled along behind him instead of beside him, wishing to at least shield her face from the rain. "Where are we going?" she asked, realising fully well that no matter how much she resisted he wouldn't let her go.

She knew he had said something, but the wind's howl proved to be much louder than him, and completely drowned him out. She attempted to shout her question again and failed miserably, barely hearing the sound escape from her lips. The wind mocked her with a sharp whistling sound, complimented by a loud clap of thunder. Shivering, she started walking closer to the man in front of her, imagining that somehow this would keep her warm, although in reality it had no effect. She felt the bandages around her arm slowly begin to slide down her elbow, having been greatly weakened by the water. _Gajeel, let go! _She thought angrily, trying to free her hand in order to catch the dressings. But it was too late, and the bandages were whisked away by a miniature stream running down the side of the road, leaving her bruised arm defenceless against the rain, each drop like bullets against her skin.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" she chanted. The Dragon Slayer barely even glanced at her as he navigated them down one of Magnolia's seedier streets. Levy looked around nervously. She knew what kind of people lived in this neighbourhood; they were exactly like the ones who had attacked her and her teammates. The thought of that night only made the throbbing in her arm worse. Just as she thought she couldn't take it anymore they were out of the rain and under the cover of a small roof sheltering the entrance of a shabby apartment complex.

"You okay?" Gajeel asked, looking her over to make sure she was alright. He stuck his hand in his pocket and fumbled around a moment before pulling it out with a set of keys in tow. "You're hungry, and it was pretty obvious they wouldn't be cooking anything any time soon." He unlocked the door and pushed it open, revealing a narrow hallway sort of like the one in Fairy Hills. "I think I have some food here." The wallpaper was faded and peeling off the walls in some places, and the floor was covered in a thin layer of dust. They walked down the hall to the last door, and unlocked it and headed into the apartment. Well, the blue-haired mage wasn't quite sure she could think of it as an 'apartment'. His living room was tiny, containing only a small navy couch and coffee table on top of a suspiciously stained rug. Through an open doorway she could see the kitchen, which looked so small that it seemed to belong in a dollhouse rather than here. She guessed the other two doors led to his bathroom and bedroom.

"I don't have any hot water running right now," he said, closing the door and locking it. He tossed the paper bags onto the floor – all three of them completely ruined by the rainwater – and went into the kitchen. "So you'll just have to eat this dry."

He reached into the only cabinet there and pulled out a small packet of instant noodles. He opened the pack and tossed the noodles onto a paper plate that had been left on the counter, and took it to Levy, who was gingerly seated on the edge of his couch. The sight was rather odd; he never had visitors in his apartment, except from when his neighbours would attempt to rob him while he was asleep. Not that there was anything worthy of stealing, but they still tried doing it anyway. He watched the bookworm eat her noodles with vigour, small droplets of water dripping from her hair onto the plate, and wondered what her teammates would think if they knew where she was. They would probably think that she had been forced to come to this miserable hole; which was partly true. But it wasn't like she didn't want to be there now. She seemed pretty content with her meal; though her appetite was most likely controlling her thoughts, and right now all she seemed to be thinking was 'Feed me!'

"Thanks, Gajeel!" she said gratefully, already finished. She licked the crumbs off her fingers and smiled, satisfied. "You can be a real good friend. You know, when you want to be."

Gajeel didn't know how to respond to this; after all, he had never been considered as anyone's 'friend'. Trump card, enemy, sure, he had been many things, but friend? Really? He recalled how he had crucified her and her teammates to a tree in the centre of the park, yet there she was, smiling at him as if nothing had ever happened. Had she just completely forgotten about it? Or had she chosen to forgive and forget? _This girl is crazy, _he thought, shaking his head. _In fact, all those fairies are crazy. I don't understand why I put up with them._

But just for a second, when his gaze rested upon her once more, he understood exactly why he stuck around.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **For your viewing pleasure, I present Chapter 5! Thank you guys for your reviews, alerts and favorites, you always manage to bring a smile to my face. :D I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

* * *

><p>Pile after pile, Levy went through all the books cluttering her apartment floor, organizing them and compiling them by genre. After she had finished her meal at Gajeel's he had given her a towel to dry off with, and then stayed home while she took three stuffed plastic bags to the guild – the paper bags had been completely ruined by the rain, but luckily they had found a couple of small bags in his cabinet. She had considered asking him for help carrying the bags but she hadn't wanted to push her luck; he had seemed to be in an odd state of mind when she had finished eating, continuously glancing at her with a hint of confusion in his eyes. So she had dropped off the medicine on her own – by that time the fairies were wide awake and extremely grateful for the painkillers she had bought. After all, they couldn't rely on Wendy to help them out with such a trivial thing, especially since Charle wouldn't hear of it. Once she had finished handing out the medicine to everyone, Mirajane helped her rub ointment on her arms and reapply her bandages, and sent her home with a stern order to rest up so that she'd heal quickly. However, these plans had been ruined upon entering her apartment; she just couldn't stand the sight of all her wonderful books lying around everywhere in complete disarray.<p>

"Almost finished!" she exclaimed happily, moving on to the second last pile. Although she could have easily begun cleaning up in the morning instead of sundown, she had found herself inexplicably drawn to the task. Maybe it was because rather than doing nothing and letting her mind wander she just wanted to focus on her work, and nothing else. Especially not a certain Dragon Slayer who had refused to leave her thoughts. Once again she was no longer concentrated on her books but was instead daydreaming, recalling his statement that he would save her if she ever needed to be saved, and then thinking of feel of his hand around hers as he took her to his apartment. When he had explained why he had taken her there her heart had skipped a beat; he cared? She figured he had accepted her request to accompany because he was bored, but what if it wasn't just that?

_You're supposed to be organizing your books! _A small voice reminded her. However it wasn't easy to get back to the task at hand once her train of thought had taken a completely different route. After 10 minutes of trying and failing to continue categorizing her novels, she decided she might as well sleep and continue in the morning, after all, usually sleep served to nullify and even banish all unwanted thoughts. Satisfied with her resolution, she slipped into a pair of pyjama shorts and climbed into her futon, ready to fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. But it seemed like fate had a different plan in store for her, as it refused to let her get the rest she deserved, instead lightly pushing her thoughts in the direction she didn't want them to go. After all, why should she continue to let Gajeel be the headlining act in her mind's theatre?

Maybe she kept on thinking about him simply because he was the only guy to have ever really caught her eye. During her long stay in the guild she hadn't been interested in anyone, especially not her two admirers. They were her best friends, and she just couldn't think of them as anything other than that. But Gajeel...he was different, unlike any of the guys she had met. It was strange how she had gone from fearing him to finding herself rather fascinated with him. Of course, maybe the fact that he had saved her time and time again had something to do with it. But now it felt like it was more than mere fascination...could it be there was more to her feelings than she knew?

Rolling over under the sheets, she shoved her face into her pillow until she could barely breathe. _Just sleep now!_ she ordered herself, unwilling to allow herself to think of anything anymore. _You won't be as caught up on this after your rest. _With this in mind she moved her head so her cheek was now resting on the edge of the pillow, and drifted slowly into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>Her morning was uneventful; she followed her normal ritual of getting up at sunrise, showering, brushing her teeth and then dressing up. Although usually these dull mornings of hers were unwanted, today she welcomed it with wide arms, enjoying the normality of the situation.<p>

The walk to Fairy Tail was also rather peaceful, with the sun shining brightly over the town, no clouds there today to block its light. She skipped along the sidewalk happily, enjoying the warm breeze blowing through her hair, which she had left down with merely a hair band to keep it from falling into her eyes. Her good mood wasn't just from these outside factors though, when she had woken up most of her bruises had faded to a dull yellow, except for a few patches. The fact that she was healing so quickly had definitely cheered her up a bit, especially given that her friends were probably healing just as quickly as she was, meaning that in a few days time they would be better and well enough to go on jobs again.

Upon reaching the guild and walking inside, she noticed that something was different. Namely, the guild was almost completely silent. This was strange, considering that there wasn't a day that went by when the fairies weren't being their loud, boisterous selves. But the silence was broken by loud cheers, mixed with laughter and shouts of 'I told you so!' The only person who didn't seem to be participating was Gajeel, who was seated at one of the tables in the far corner of the guild reading the latest issue of _Sorcerer Magazine. _She walked over to him and pulled the magazine away from his face in order to get his attention. "Hey, what's going on over there?" she asked.

"Salamander and the bunny girl are getting together," he said, rolling his eyes. "Everyone's been going on like fucking lunatics since they announced it."

"They are?" Levy exclaimed, glancing back towards the crowd. Indeed, Lucy and Natsu were right in the middle of it, their fingers interlaced as they tried to escape the throng. "When did this happen?"

"Yesterday, apparently," Gajeel replied. They watched Happy fly over the two, shouting 'They llllike each other!' at the top of his lungs. Below him Wendy giggled and joined in, the joy in the air rather infectious. Charle just sighed and rolled her eyes, murmuring something under her breath. "The only good thing that's going to come out of this for me is that I can get a decent fight out of Salamander if I insult his girlfriend."

The small blue-haired mage giggled at the thought of Natsu going on a rampage in his girlfriend's defence. Wow, his _girlfriend_. It was going to be really odd thinking of them as a couple now, even though most people had assumed they would get together eventually. "Would you really do that just to get a rise out of him?"

He smirked and nodded, leaning in closer to her. "Of course! Want to see it in action?"

"No, no, give them some peace for now!" she replied, barely noticing how close he was. "It seems like they already have enough trouble as it is."

"What, you don't want me to have any fun?"

"It's not like I'm banning you from your fun! I'm just asking you to leave them for now."

"...Okay, I will, but that's only because your stalkers are providing me some form of amusement right now."

She turned to glance at her teammates, who were standing at the edge of the crowd with horror-struck looks on their faces. When they realised that she was looking at them they turned away and started whispering to each other with amazing speed. Gajeel was enjoying the sight; messing with those boys was just far too easy.

"Please don't call them stalkers," she pleaded, turning back to him. It was only then that she noticed the small space in between their faces, and she backed away, turning a deep shade of red.

"If you insist," he shrugged, grinning at her reaction. She excused herself, saying that she wanted to go make sure they were alright. Although every inch of his being ached to stop her, he just waved her away nonchalantly. How could he possibly tell her that, no, he didn't want her to leave, he wanted her to stay with him? He certainly hadn't been able to say it the day before; too preoccupied with the sudden warmth he had felt in his chest when she had smiled at him. It was the kind of smile he had never received from anyone before; a smile full of gratitude and a hint of something else, an emotion unknown to the Dragon Slayer. His mood slowly deteriorating with her gone, he snatched a sheet of paper requesting assistance with capturing a criminal and walked out of the guild. Finally, someone's ass he could kick. Maybe it would help stop that incessant panging in his chest.

* * *

><p>Levy watched Gajeel's retreating back before the doors slammed shut behind him, ignoring her teammates next to her. Their conversation had started out normally, they told her that Wendy had almost completely healed them and they were feeling really good, but then it had quickly led to an awkward silence, none of them sure what to say. She had tried to look past that and ignore their quizzical glances, but there was only so much she could take.<p>

So she was extremely grateful when Lucy came and whisked her away, the blonde having escaped from the clutches of the mob by leaving Natsu to fend for himself, an action the pink-haired Dragon Slayer did not appreciate. The two girls spent most of the afternoon discussing what had happened between the recently declared couple, with Lucy telling the whole story while Levy stopped her to squeal and get much more intricate details. By the time the story was finished the Solid Script mage was grinning madly, earning a bright scarlet blush from her friend.

"Lu-chan, I'm so happy for you!" she suddenly exclaimed, crushing her friend in a tight embrace.

"So are we!"

The girls looked to the right and spotted Erza, Cana and Juvia a few feet away. As they invaded the conversation and grilled Lucy for details, the small blue-haired mage found herself losing track of what they were saying, instead focusing on the door, wondering where the ex-Phantom had gone earlier. She wished he would have at least told her before leaving, but then again, she had left him to go speak with her teammates. He didn't have any obligation to her, even though, oddly enough, it felt as if he should. She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't notice her two ever loyal comrades - the rest of team Shadow Gear - staring intently at her.

"Do you think something happened between Gajeel and Levy?" Droy asked Jet, sitting with his friend at the bar. The orange-haired mage shrugged and took a swig of the sake Cana had left sitting around on the counter. It was pretty funny that his partner had voiced his exact thoughts aloud.

"I don't think so," he admitted. "But they seem to be a lot more...friendly with each other, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah. But do you think we should do anything?"

_Of course we should, _he thought._ We should go and knock some sense into her. She seems to have forgotten what that guy did to us, and to the guild. He's bad news; he's not somebody she should be hanging around. She needs to be reminded about that. _"...We can't choose who Levy-chan wants to be friends with. Even if we really don't like the people she chooses."

"So we just wait and see?"

Jet sighed and took another sip of his drink. "I guess so."

* * *

><p>"Please, don't hurt me!"<p>

"...No, I think I will."

Gajeel slammed his fist into the man's stomach, knocking the breath out of him and sending him flying into the wall behind him with a loud _smack_. The man moaned and slid to the ground, completely knocked out. _Well, that was disappointing. _His opponent had been the supposedly 'dangerous criminal' that had been terrorizing one of Magnolia's more peaceful neighbourhoods. However, all it had taken was a couple of hits and the man had fallen to his knees, begging for mercy. Of course the Dragon Slayer had still knocked him out anyways, but that hadn't really satisfied him as much as he had hoped it would. Instead, during his whole trip looking to and fro for that damn criminal, he had realised that he would've rather been sitting in the guild, talking to the girl that had somehow managed to get under his skin. And this scared him, specifically because up until now the emotions that normally controlled him were anger and bloodlust. They were still there, but had been dulled by that third emotion that had cropped up out of nowhere. Okay, so it hadn't exactly come from _nowhere_. If he had to guess then it may have been there for a while, but had only become obvious the day before.

_Admit it, Gajeel, _his inner voice urged him. _You like her much more than those other Fairy Tail pansies. _As much as he would have liked to deny the voice the satisfaction of being right, he couldn't exactly disagree with the statement. It was true; out of all the fairies he actually enjoyed her presence, whereas the others were merely insignificant parts of his daily life. Maybe it was because she was so different, like a breath of fresh air in a polluted atmosphere. Even after what he had done to her and her teammates, she had still forgiven him and had helped him out when he needed it. But if he were to ever tell her his feelings, would she reciprocate them? She was a beautiful girl; she could probably get any man she wanted. Hell, she even had two practically drooling all over her shoes right in the guild! But he knew he did have some affect on her, the constant blushes he noticed being one factor of evidence. Then again, it really wasn't much to go by.

"Okay, so maybe I have a small thing for the bookworm," he muttered to himself, earning him some curious stares from passersby. "But there's no reason to do anything; it's probably just one of those five minute attractions people talk about. It won't last. In a few days everything will go back to normal ."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **The longest chapter yet! Once again, as usual, thank you for your reviews, alerts and favorites, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :D And just for today, because I've completely forgotten to do this for the other five chapters, I do not own Fairy Tail, nor its characters, nor any of those other things. Enjoy the chapter! ;)

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><p>"How was today's job?<p>

The trio of team Shadow Gear smiled at Mirajane mysteriously, and then burst out laughing. Truth was, the job had been far too easy for them, a waste of time, really. They had had to travel all the way out to Onibus just to help a rich woman find her lost cat. Of course, not all their jobs had been like that. During the past week all they had done was go to job after job, ranging from trivial matters to harder, more rewarding ones, such as subduing a gang of burglars running around Magnolia (which had been a surprisingly easy one, considering only one of the burglars had known how to use magic). All in all it was clear to see that the trio didn't plan on being jumped and overpowered like they had almost two weeks before.

Although Levy was certainly proud of herself and her teammates for all their hard work, she couldn't help wishing that they didn't spend all their time away from the guild. After all, the time she spent there was usually the only time she would get to see the Iron Dragon Slayer. While away on her missions she had realised that she actually missed his presence, and his image had haunted her mind the entire trip. Unfortunately she had had nobody to talk to about it, seeing as it would have been extremely awkward to even try discussing it with Jet and Droy. But, upon spying Lucy sitting next to Natsu and speaking to him animatedly, she realised that now was her chance to finally get some advice.

"I'm going to go talk to Lu-chan," she said, heading towards the couple. A quick scan around the room confirmed that Gajeel indeed wasn't in the room; it was good news for her, it meant that there was absolutely no chance of him hearing the conversation.

Even before she had said anything or even actually reached the couple it seemed as if Lucy knew that she needed to talk about something important, because one look at her friend's face had led her to leaving her boyfriend's side and rushing to Levy, concern in her eyes. "Is something wrong?" she asked, taking her hands. "The look on your face doesn't exactly scream 'I'm feeling terrific today.'"

"Well, I need your help with something," the Solid Script mage replied. "Can we go somewhere a little more private?" There were no unoccupied areas in the hall so they decided to go backstage, a place that was mainly used by Mirajane since she was the only person who performed on a regular basis. The girls sat on two conveniently located crates behind the curtains, and Levy took a deep breath, unsure of how to begin.

"So...the thing is...erm..." she stumbled on her words, fully aware of what she wanted to say, but not exactly willing to say it aloud. If she did, then it meant that she couldn't think of her attraction to him as a mere passing fancy anymore, she would have to face the fact that it was more than just that. Did she really want to take that risk? The answer was obvious. Even if there was no chance of anything good coming out of this, she still had to tell someone about it. She couldn't deal with it alone, that was clear already. She needed help. "Lu-chan...I think I've...sort of...well...'tknowwhattodoaboutit!" She spoke so quickly that her words seemed to meld together, and it took Lucy a bit of thinking to understand what she had said.

The blonde stared at her for a moment, surprise very clearly etched into her face. She knew that Levy and Gajeel had gotten a bit closer, but she hadn't expected anything to come out of it. Friendship, maybe, but this? How had this happened? When did it start? She wouldn't be satisfied until she had every single detail her friend had to offer.

"Levy-chan, could you start this story from the beginning?"

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><p>Levy strolled down the streets of Magnolia, wracking her brains trying to recall where exactly Gajeel lived. In her arms she held a bento box filled with food she and Lucy had made at blonde's house; it was meant to be a sort of excuse for her to go see him. At least, that was what the blonde had told her. This whole thing was her crazy idea; the bookworm was merely following orders.<p>

**Flashback**

" _Levy-chan, why didn't you tell me this sooner?"_

_Lucy was staring at her with a mixture of excitement and confusion. She sighed and glanced away, unwilling to look the girl in the eyes. "Well, it's embarrassing, if you hadn't realised that, and I wasn't exactly sure of how I felt until now." She waited for a lecture on how stupid she was, on how she shouldn't bother thinking that way about Gajeel because he certainly wasn't the least bit interested in her and he would never be, either. But she heard something different instead._

"_You know, after what you've just told me, I've been visualising all the moments you two have had," the blonde said. "I should've realised that this would happen. I guess I was just too preoccupied with Natsu to even notice. But you know, I think there's a chance that he might feel the same way about you."_

_How strange it felt, that warm bubble of hope that seemed to rise up in her chest. "W-what do you mean? I don't think he's shown any signs of that."_

"_He took the time to make it clear that if you needed someone to save you, he would be there. Do you realise what a romantic gesture that is?"_

"_Or maybe just a friendly one?"_

"_Levy-chan, are you trying to bring yourself down? I'm almost certain he likes you! Tell me, when was the last time you saw him?"_

"_Erm...I think when you and Natsu told the guild you were dating."_

"_Oh no, that's not good. You guys need some alone time, and fast. Is he here?"_

"_No, I didn't see him."_

"_So you already checked, huh?" Lucy remarked, causing Levy to turn a light shade of pink. The blonde laughed, although she was just teasing, she was really happy. Sure, if she was asked which guy was the most suitable choice for the blue-haired mage, Gajeel would not be the first person that came to mind. But from the way he was described, it seemed like he actually did care about her friend, and she knew that if that was true then he could make her happy. "Since you've been to his apartment before, he won't mind if you drop by, will he?"_

"_Huh?" the question startled Levy, who had been staring at the floor, daydreaming. "Erm...I don't really know..."_

"_Well, he's probably there now, seeing as he didn't take any jobs today. Why don't you go talk to him?"_

"_Talk to him? Wait, you want me to tell him how I feel?"_

"_It's the only thing you can do. Trust me, how do you think Natsu got me?"_

"_But Lu-chan, what if he's just not interested? In fact, what if he goes and laughs in my face?"_

"_You don't have to worry about that, because he's definitely into you. Now, come on." She linked her arm with Levy's and started leading her to the guild's front door. _

"_Where are we going?"_

"_To my place! We are going to make a tasty late lunch and you are going to take it to Gajeel."_

"_W-what? Why?"_

"_You're going to repay him for those...dry noodles you ate at his place. Basically it's your ticket to getting in to his apartment; how could he say no to that cute face of yours, especially when you have food?"_

"_Lu-chan...are you sure about this?"_

"_Relax; I know what I'm talking about! Don't give me that look! Listen, once you're in, you're going to talk to him, I don't want to have to see you sulking about the guild, unsure of yourself just because you never found out how he feels."_

"_...Well...I guess I could do it..."_

"_There you go! Now let's go cook!"_

**End of Flashback**

_I shouldn't have agreed to this,_ Levy thought, turning around the corner. Oh yes, this was definitely the street. With its littered roads, suspicious looking apartment complexes and houses, and the shady inhabitants, it was one of Magnolia's seediest areas. She stopped and looked around for Gajeel's building, trying to ignore the eyes leering at her from the shadows of the alley, and through the windows of the homes around her. Shuddering, she decided to just keep on going straight and hope for the best, steeling herself against those unwanted worries that just seemed to keep on cropping up.

And it worked. Well, for a minute anyways. After passing what appeared to be a small abandoned shack she noticed that there was a kind of tapping sound coming from a few feet behind her. It sounded like someone trotting lightly, barely allowing their feet to touch the ground. Gulping nervously, she glanced back as far as she could without turning her head. From her peripheral vision she could see barely anything, but then she spotted what appeared to be a...hand? _Oh crap, _Levy mentally groaned, quickening her pace. _Just my luck. _She tightened her grip around the bento box, looking around and praying to see anything familiar, but nothing looked like it had during the rainstorm. _Well it doesn't matter. Whoever that is, they're not going to touch me. I haven't been working my butt off all week just to let myself be frightened by anything that comes my way!_ Preparing for the worst, she swirled around, and came face to face with the person who was following her. He was a rather shot, squat man, with a head of messy brown hair and an unshaven face. His skin was wrinkled and covered in dust, with cleaner patches popping up out of the blue. His stared at her in surprise, shocked that she had turned.

"Do you want something?" she asked, attempting to glare at him fiercely. He grinned and took a step closer.

"You seem like you have quite a bit of money on you," he commented, smiling even wider. "I want it."

"Sorry, I have nothing for you," She moved the bento box in between her arm and torso and took a step backwards, but the action was useless when he moved towards her.

"H-hey! Take one step closer and I'll fry you!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

"FIRE!"

"Ack! What the fuck?"

The man hopped up and down on one foot, batting at his clothes, attempting to smother the flames that he could clearly feel burning his skin. He hadn't expected the harmless looking word that had appeared in the air to set him on fire! When he realised that they were finally gone he stopped and glared at Levy, moving his hand towards his belt, where the handle of a knife was sticking out. "I see, you're one of those Fairy Tail mages," he hissed, sliding the knife out. "I don't think your friends will mind if I make some marks in that pretty flesh of yours. Unless you're willing to hand over whatever you've got?"

Levy stood her ground and prepared to fight; she was not going to let a man with a tiny knife get the better of her.

"Didn't your watchdogs ever warn you not to go to places like this alone?"

The blue-haired mage nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the voice loudly and clearly next to her ear. A muscular arm draped itself around her shoulders, and she glanced in the direction it came from. Standing there was none other than the Dragon Slayer whose home she had been searching for. He was shooting a menacing look at the man in front of them, who was beginning to think that maybe he shouldn't have chosen the small girl as his target.

"Oi, asswipe, you really want to try attacking her?" Gajeel asked, pulling Levy closer to him and pressing her against his side. She could feel her face getting warmer, and her heart began to flutter. The man hurriedly sheathed his knife and raised his palms into the air, as if surrendering.

"Gajeel! L-look, I didn't k-know she was your girl," he stammered, slowly retreating. "I w-wasn't going to anything to her, I swear – Gah!"

He was interrupted by an iron pillar smacking into his jaw, the contact causing horrifyingly loud _snap_, and he fell to the ground, screaming and clutching his chin as blood trickled from his mouth in a steady stream. He tried crawling away as his attacker leisurely made his way towards him, but he wasn't fast enough, and in just a few seconds the Dragon Slayer had him by the collar, holding him up so high his feet barely scraped the ground. "If you or any of your friends try touching her," Gajeel growled, his tone loud enough to be heard by just the two of them, "Your jaw won't be the only thing that's broken."

He dropped the man onto the floor and watched him swiftly scamper away, before turning and striding back to Levy, a satisfied smile resting on his face. _I think he really enjoyed that, _she mused silently. _Although he might have taken it a little too far. _"So, what are you doing here? I didn't realise this was your scene."

"Erm...I brought this for you, as a thanks for the ramen you gave me," she replied, taking the bento box into her hands and holding it out to him. He removed it from her grasp and looked inside. The contents looked very appetizing, but that might have been due solely to the fact that he hadn't eaten the entire afternoon. "Um, Gajeel, how did you know I was here?"

He shut the box and started walking along a path going to the left, signalling for her to follow him with the wave of his hand. "I could smell you," he stated when she caught up to him. "I guessed the only reason you could be in this place was to see me, unless you're chummy with the drug dealers in the house over there?"

She shook her head, taking the question seriously instead of like the joke it was intended to be. "Hey, he knew your name though!" she realised, recalling how upon spying him the man had lost all maliciousness, replacing it with fear. She then remembered something else. "And he called me...your girl?"

They reached Gajeel's apartment complex, and Levy realised that if she had just taken the left turn instead of the right when she had first approached the street she would've reached the place with no trouble at all! Mentally smacking herself, she followed him into the building.

"Had to make it look like that, otherwise the little shit would've probably gone after you again if you were alone," he finally answered, opening his door. He waited for her to get in, and then shut the door behind them. "The idiots here are all afraid of me. With good reason, too." He smirked and sat down on the couch, placing the bento box on the table in front of him. He wasn't interested in the food. What he was interested was the girl who had just seated herself next to him and was twiddling her thumbs, appearing to be rather nervous about something. He hadn't seen her in one whole week, and during that time he had managed to prevent any unwanted thoughts about her from popping up. However, when he had caught her scent while on his way home, a strange stirring had started in his chest, and when he found her it had taken all his willpower not to take her in his arms right there; a feeling that had been completely unknown to him until now. It got worse when she had explained why she had come to his neighbourhood, but upon observing her more closely he realised that she wasn't acting like herself. She looked a lot more anxious and fidgety than usual. As he mulled over this she took a deep breath, trying to gather her courage.

"So," she started, trying to banish the awkward silence from the room. "How has your week been? I haven't exactly seen you around."

"You've been out on jobs, remember? Getting tougher with your little teammates."

"I know that, I'm just...just starting conversation. Are you going to eat?"

"Actually, instead of that why don't you tell me why you're really here?"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"The look of dread on your face is a dead giveaway."

And it was true; her odd behaviour clearly had a reason behind it, and Gajeel wanted to know exactly what it was. He hadn't realised it until she had started speaking, but what he really wanted to do was make sure the reason for her discomfort wasn't him. After all, they had passed that stage, hadn't they? Or had they actually managed to dissolve the bond that had formed between them in a mere week's time? He stared at her, waiting for her to open her mouth and continue speaking, but she kept her eyes on her thumbs and stayed quiet. This started to unnerve him, and he grew a bit apprehensive. Her unwillingness to talk was not a good sign. "Look, whatever, it doesn't matter," he muttered.

"No...It does matter," Levy sighed, turning towards him. "I need to...well you see...you know what, never mind!"

She shot of the couch so quickly she her movement appeared blurred, and prepared to leave. It couldn't be done, she couldn't tell him how she felt. Fear, cowardice, whatever it was, she was letting it control her, and it was being very clear that she should get the heck out of there without giving any explanation. This was it; she would just go back to Lucy's and tell the girl it was an impossible feat. She was so intent on leaving that she hadn't expected her plans of escape to be foiled when Gajeel was suddenly looming in front of her, the only obstacle between her and the door.

"W-what are you doing?" she asked, trying to sidestep him. It didn't work, he simply imitated her movements. "I brought the lunch, so now I'll just go and let you eat it in peace."

"Bullshit," he growled, stopping another of her attempts to run off. "You have something to say, so spit it out!"

"It's nothing, really! Just some silly thing I remembered, it's not important."

"I'm not an idiot."

"I never said you were one!"

"Then stop treating me like one and tell me what the hell is wrong! Do you have a problem with me?"

"Of course not!" she shook her head fervently, wishing to expel any thoughts like that from his mind. How could he have come up with that conclusion? She didn't have a _problem_ with him, just those pesky feelings that seemed to weigh her down, begging to be shown to the world. Caught up in her worries, she didn't notice him moving closer to her until she realised she had to look up to see his face and not his chest. "Gajeel?"

He was staring at her with a fierce burning in his crimson eyes, pushing away his pride in order to allow himself to speak the words he needed to. After all, sentences that relayed concern were not his speciality, and he really didn't enjoy saying them. "Please," he nearly spat out the word, so unused to using it. "I don't want you...to be uncomfortable around me...so just tell me what's bothering you."

His words seemed to have an effect on her, as she sighed and moved back to the couch and dropped onto it, leaning her chin on the palm of her hand. "I don't know how to say it," she sighed. He followed her and crouched in front of her, gently moving her chin in order to get her to look at him and not the cushion beside her.

"It can't be that hard," he said, letting go of her once he was sure she wouldn't look away. "If you can't say it, try showing it or something. I don't know, do whatever you girls normally do in these situations."

If anyone was to ask her later on what prompted her next movements, she wouldn't have been able to answer. Maybe she was just doing what he had asked her to do. Showing him what couldn't be said. It was as if her brain had ceased to function at that instant, and her body had taken the initiative to move of its own accord. That was the only way she could explain why at that moment, she kissed Gajeel. It was a quick kiss, just a few seconds long, with barely any movement from either party, but the effect it had was instantaneous.

In Levy, it caused an alarming amount of surprise and embarrassment to bubble up inside of her, emotions which were clearly expressed on her face as it glowed an amazingly deep shade of red. She turned her face away from the Dragon Slayer, who was still sitting on his heels, taken aback by what had just happened, but finally understanding the message she wanted to convey. Even though it didn't show, her kiss had completely unravelled his composure, and forced him to abandon all thoughts and worries. Now there was nothing to stop him from acting on his feelings alone.

He got up and took a seat next to the small blue-haired mage, who refused to even glance in his direction. "Levy...look at me."

Even though she was still extremely mortified with her behaviour, something in his tone made her obey his order. At this point she expected him to ask her to leave, or to laugh right in her face. She was waiting for a response that she knew she didn't want to hear. What she had not been anticipating was him moving closer and crashing his lips onto her own.

And then her arms were around his neck and his were winding themselves around her waist, pulling her onto his lap. She kissed him with a passion that she never knew she had, her body alight with burning desire as one of his hands made its way up her back and ran through her short blue tresses. Any reservations she had were gone; she was far too caught up in the moment to even think about anything else. He held her tightly but gently, trapping her so that she couldn't escape even if she tried. Not that she wanted to escape. Her mouth moved along with his quickly and forcefully, and she found herself leaning into him even more in order to deepen the kiss, thoroughly enjoying his quick response as he did the same.

They suddenly broke away from the kiss, gasping as they took in some much needed air. Neither of them knew what to say, but it didn't matter. Words and thoughts had no place there. The only thing that truly mattered was how they felt, and both had made that very, very clear.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Many thanks to all of you who have taken the time to review, favorite or add this story to your alerts. Although school insists on taking up a lot of my time I'll try to continue updating as regularly as possible. Enjoy!

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><p><em>We kissed! I can't believe it!<em>

Perched on the edge of the couch, Levy stared into the distance, her cheeks burning with a pink glow that refused to fade. Seated beside her was Gajeel, leaning on the cushion behind him and watching her intently. He couldn't tell what she was thinking about or what she felt, but he sincerely hoped it wasn't anything like regret.

"Are you okay?" he asked, worried by her silence. It wasn't a good sign, so when she finally spoke, relief hit him like a wave and washed through him, taking his fears away with it.

"I'm fine," she smiled, slumping back onto the couch. And she was, truly. He slid an arm around her, and she willingly moved with it, resting her head on his shoulder. It was amazing how snugly she fit into him, like she had been meant to be there all along, the missing piece belonging to an incomplete puzzle. She took a deep break, trying to calm her fluttering heart, which was still going fast, one of the many side effects of their kiss. She honestly didn't know where they planned to go next. What would they do from here? Did this whole thing mean that they were a couple, that they would start going on dates? Or would he imagine it to be some kind of friends with benefits arrangement? She grimaced at the thought, earning her a puzzled glance from the Dragon Slayer.

"I hope that wasn't a reaction to me," he said jokingly, quickly rushing to calm her down when she took the comment seriously. She shook her head and punched him playfully.

"Gajeel," she started, making use of the courage that had suddenly flared within her. "What are we?"

He considered her question for a moment, and then shrugged. "Call us whatever the hell you want to. I just don't plan on doing any of the bullshit that Salamander and the bunny did."

She didn't hear the rest of what he said, because after he had mentioned Lucy and Natsu, something had occurred to her. Would they tell anyone about them? Should they tell anyone about them? Lucy, definitely, she had to! At the end of the day, this whole thing was thanks to the girl's forceful attitude towards Levy's situation. But then she recalled her teammates, and their extreme dislike of the Dragon Slayer. How could she even think about letting them know when she knew their reactions would be negative straight away? She loved her friends with all her heart, but she knew their personalities far too well. They were both extremely stubborn, especially when it came to matters concerning her. No, she couldn't share this news with them just yet.

"Hey, you don't mind if we don't tell anyone about us, right?" she asked, looking up at Gajeel. He opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off. "Don't get any wrong ideas, it's just because if we told anyone in the guild they would probably tell Jet and Droy, and those two would really not be okay with it."

"Who gives a damn what they think?" he muttered. "But if that's how they'd react, I wouldn't mind rubbing it in their faces."

"Don't even think about it! I do plan on telling Lu-chan, but I'll make sure she doesn't tell anyone else. We'll tell them eventually, but now isn't the right time. Please don't go and torture them with it!"

"...As much as it hurts to accept, I guess I could keep quiet for now."

"Thank you!" the blue-haired mage shifted and nestled her head into the crook of his neck, wishing to just lay there for the rest of the day, sentiments that were shared by him as well. But she knew she had to go back to Lucy's house. The mage was probably eagerly awaiting her return. Groaning, she lifted herself up.

"Where are you going?" Gajeel asked, standing up with her.

"Back to Fairy Tail," she replied. "The guys will be wondering where I am." She glanced towards the bento box she and Lucy had prepared, which lay untouched. "Do me a favour and eat it? We put a lot of effort into preparing that."

She beamed at him and rushed out of the door, not giving him a chance to object. He sighed and grabbed the box, intending to go along with her wishes. But before he did he moved to the window and watched her walk away from the building, keeping his eyes on her until she was out of his field of vision, just to make sure that she was okay.

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><p>Laughter filled Lucy's home as Natsu relentlessly pounced on her, running his fingers all over the areas he knew were most sensitive. Ignoring her protests, he continued tickling her, greatly enjoying the experience. He couldn't help himself, when he heard her shrieking with delight like that it made him want to laugh as well, sending a burst of pleasure coursing through his veins. Oh, how he loved to make her happy. He took a lot of pride in that skill of his, even though in some cases it took a bit of cheating. Just like now. As long as it made her smile, it didn't matter what he did.<p>

He gazed at her as she rolled around beneath his hands and stopped his attack, deciding to give her a chance to breathe. Boy, she was a sight to behold. Even like this, with hair sticking up from all sides and her face a bright shade of red, she was still the most beautiful thing in the room. Once she caught her breath she glared at him and sat up on the ground, brushing the dust she had collected off her clothes. He crossed his legs beneath him and watched her; unable to stop himself from chuckling at the look she was giving him.

"You're horrible," she sighed. He nodded in agreement and got onto his feet, pulling her up with him.

"If you hadn't been ignoring me then I wouldn't have had to resort to attacking you," he stated, releasing her arms.

"I wasn't ignoring you!"

"Yes you were. I came in and you were daydreaming. Although, now that I think about it you were probably dreaming about me, right?"

The blonde rolled her eyes and walked in to her kitchen, and began rummaging through her cupboards."You hungry?" she asked, grabbing two packets of chips from the bottom shelf. She tossed one over to him and watched him rip it open, greedily pouring half the contents into his mouth. "Oh, I forgot to ask, where's Happy?"

"Catching fish for Charle," he responded, happily munching on the chips. "So, Lucy, what's on your mind?"

"It's nothing!"

He appraised her, catching the faraway look in her eyes. What could she possibly be thinking about? It was just like when he had arrived at her house a couple of hours ago. She had been washing her cooking utensils, her focus not on the task at hand but instead on something else. The first time he had asked her what was wrong she hadn't even heard him. The second time, she didn't reply. So he had taken refuge on her bed and gone to sleep, hoping that when he awakened she would be in a better state. Of course it turned out that not even time was on his side, because when he got up she had been staring out the window, eyes glued to the street outside as if waiting for something or someone to magically appear out of the blue.

"You know Lucy, you're a crappy liar," he commented. She started to head back to her sitting room when a few sharp knocks on the door stopped her in her tracks. For a millisecond she appeared to be normal, calmly moving to the door, but halfway there she decided to bolt towards it instead, nearly slamming against it in her hurry to get it open.

"LEVY-CHAN!" she yelled, grabbing the girl's arm and heaving her into the apartment. "Do you have any idea how long you've been gone? The sun's already setting!"

"Isn't that a good sign?" Levy retorted, almost tripping thanks to Lucy's surprisingly strong pull.

"Who cares about that, just tell me what happened!"

"Lu-chan, I swear you give the best advice and I am so grateful! Gajeel and I kissed! It was amazing, Lu-chan, it was like – Natsu!"

"It was like Natsu?" Lucy asked, baffled by the description. It dawned on her then that the blue-haired mage was not looking at her, but past her shoulder, where Natsu stood in the doorway. His mouth was agape, the potato chip he had been about to eat still resting in his hands, fully intact.

"You and Gajeel?" he choked out, the words tasting odd in his mouth. He gawked at the girls for a moment, and then snapped his mouth shut and held his breath, trying very hard not to start laughing right there. The mental image that had appeared alongside the sentence he had heard was absolutely hilarious, with the ex-Phantom on his knees and presenting her with a large bouquet of roses, an extremely goofy smile on his face. Big ol' mean Gajeel and cute, tiny Levy? It was an impossible situation! Those two were complete polar opposites! The girls eyeballed him, wondering why he was keeping his lips clenched together so tightly, when suddenly he burst out laughing, clutching his stomach as he drowned out all other sounds.

"What's so funny?" the Solid Script mage asked defensively, rather insulted by his reaction.

"It's...just...you...and...him...hahahaha!" The pink-haired Dragon Slayer couldn't control himself; it was too crazy! He doubled over abruptly, feeling a slight pain start to form in his side. "Oh man, I can't wait until Gray hears about this!"

"No!" Levy nearly yelled, rushing forward and slapping a hand down on his mouth. "I came here only to tell Lucy, but I'm an idiot for not realising that she might have company. You can't tell anyone else! This has to stay a secret."

"Mphy?" The question was muffled by the small mage's hand, but she still managed to get the gist of it.

"Please, just listen to me, no questions asked, okay?"

"...Fmnh."

He took a deep breath when she removed her hand, rubbing his jaw. She may not have known it but she could hit pretty hard, especially when she didn't mean to. The three of them stayed quiet for a moment, uncertain of what to do. Although Natsu really did like Levy, her presence now was rather resented by him, even though she had given him a few golden minutes of entertainment. He had a feeling that now there was no chance of him staying, since the girls obviously had a lot to talk about.

"Okay, Natsu, you have to go now," the Stellar Spirit mage practically shoved him onto the street, confirming his suspicions. She planted a quick kiss on his head before she slammed the door shut. "I'm sorry but this is very important, so I'll see you tomorrow!" she shouted through the door.

The whole situation perplexed him to no end, and he spent his entire journey back to the guild mulling over it. He had no background details to go by, and it was obvious he wouldn't be getting any information soon. He didn't understand why they had to kick him out if he already knew about Gajeel and Levy's 'secret relationship', thanks to the small mage's slip of the tongue. Would his presence really be that bad? All he had wanted to do was spend time with Lucy, but it was apparent that today he would not have that opportunity. He was so caught up in his brooding that he didn't even notice he had reached his destination until Happy flew over to him from inside the guild, dejectedly clutching a trout decorated with a purple ribbon around it.

"Charle didn't want the fish," he informed his partner sadly. "Girls are really weird, right, Natsu?"

"Yeah, Happy. They're the weirdest."

* * *

><p>The next morning, just as the orange glow of the rising sun was being replaced with the usual deep blue shade of the sky, Gajeel awoke feeling rather happy. He didn't know why he was in such a good mood. He certainly couldn't contribute it to a good night's sleep, nor to the incredibly warm shower he had taken, or the rather delicious scrap iron he had for breakfast. He only realised why he was in such a pleasant state of mind when he passed the empty bento box he had left on the kitchen counter.<p>

"Right, that's hers," he said to himself, walking out of the door and locking it behind him. Did the strange, light feeling in head also belong to her? It certainly seemed so; the girl did have an odd yet powerful affect on him. Just the thought of seeing her was enough to make the Dragon Slayer quicken his pace. It was hard for him to believe that just yesterday, almost twenty-four hours ago, she had kissed him. _She _had kissed him. Of her own free will. Out of all the things he had been expecting when she had been acting bizarrely, that had definitely not been on his list of guesses. But whatever had encouraged her to act as she did, he was extremely grateful for it, because he would have ended up running around in circles attempting to avoid his blossoming attraction to her. After all, he had never imagined she would reciprocate them.

He took long, quick strides as he strolled to the guild, unnaturally enthusiastic to get there. Even though he couldn't do anything other than casually chat with Levy while they were there, it was still enough for him. For now. He honestly couldn't comprehend why they had to keep everything under wraps just because of her friends. It shouldn't have mattered what they thought about the whole thing, their attitudes towards it wasn't his problem. But it was important to her, and he knew he couldn't just act on his opinions alone. Hopefully, though, one day she would consider her own feelings more important than those of the two buffoons she worked with.

The guild rose up in front of him, but today he didn't view it with the stoic expression he normally donned. Instead, there was a slight eagerness visible in his eyes, one that most people wouldn't have noticed. However, Juvia wasn't most people, and unlike the other fairies, as soon as he walked in the look on his face told her something was different. You don't spend years in a guild without getting to know a person. Gajeel was surprised when she came up to him, and point blank, asked him what was going on with him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, trying to get past her so he could sit down.

"Juvia thinks you seem different," she replied, moving to the left. She followed him to one of the tables near the stage and plopped down across from him, refusing to let him escape.

"Well, Juvia is crazy," he lifted his feet up and rested them on the table, blocking his view of the rain woman and vice versa. "Shouldn't you be worrying about your precious 'Gray-sama' right now, instead of giving me all your attention?" He tilted his head in the direction of the bar, where Gray and Mirajane were chuckling together about something. It was just a normal conversation, but to the Element Four mage it was a life or death situation, because from what she could see with every word Gray appeared to be getting closer and closer to the white-haired mage behind the counter.

The Dragon Slayer suppressed the urge to roll his eyes as she started to tear up and clenched her hands tightly, mumbling to herself about how life wasn't fair. He began to stand up to get some food to eat, and froze when he spotted a blue head of hair walking in his direction. He slowly settled back down onto his seat, glad that the girl across from him was too busy staring wistfully at the ice mage sitting in front of the bar to have noticed his actions.

"Hey, Juvia, Gajeel!" she greeted cheerfully. "Eh, Juvia, what's wrong?"

"Gray-sama is so horrible!" Juvia cried, before jumping out of the chair and running off, leaving a blazing trail behind her. Levy stared after her and then turned to Gajeel, who merely shrugged, an amused smirk on his face. An awkward silence followed, neither of them sure what to say or how to act around each other. It was slightly uncomfortable, and was thankfully interrupted by her teammate.

"Levy-chan!" Droy called, beckoning her to the request board. "I just found a great request for us!"

She gave the ex-Phantom a small smile, and with a subtle wave of her hand she went off to her partner, who was eagerly awaiting her. He allowed himself one last fleeting look at her, disappointed that he had allowed the strangeness of the situation to render him silent. Slamming his boots down onto the ground, he decided he might as well take up a request of his own, for lack of anything better to do, when he noticed a faded glow emanating from under the table. He peeked under it, and floating there in long, curving letters was the sentence 'Let's meet tonight at the gates!' It hovered there for an instant longer before fading away into nothingness.

_Damn, she's good, _he thought, feeling a wide grin spread across his face. _It's a deal Levy. I'll see you there._

* * *

><p>"Oh hey, Jet! Give me a minute; I'm going to go tell Mirajane we're taking this request."<p>

Jet barely had a chance to nod as Levy strolled over to the bar, where the S-class mage was chatting away with her customers. He had just entered the guild when his teammates had tackled him, scolding him for not getting there early and then informing him of the job they were going to do. It sounded simple enough; a rich man living on the outskirts of Magnolia wanted them to disprove a fortune teller's predictions of his future. The reward was insane, it was a whopping 600,000 jewels! They had no idea how they would go about it, but if even just a wild attempt would mean receiving that much money, they planned to go for it. Although it was rather strange that no-one else had snatched it up before them, it looked like it had been up there for a while.

"She seems excited," the orange-haired mage remarked, watching his teammate interrupt Mirajane's conversation.

"I guess she's glad we got it before anyone else," Droy considered. "I know that's my reason. Although, knowing the amount of prank requests we get, everyone probably assumed it was another one."

"Shouldn't we be afraid of that, too?"

"I don't know, it seems pretty authentic to me. Hey, maybe after we're done we can go out for a celebratory dinner. It's been a while since we've gone out together just to have fun."

"Yeah, you're right," Jet moved his gaze to their partner, who was on her way back to them. "Why don't we surprise her with it?"

"Good idea! Let's do it."

"Alright, it's official you guys, this job is ours," Levy informed them, linking her arms with theirs. "Now let's move it! If we go now we can make it back before it gets really late."

"Aye, aye, Levy-chan! Let's go!"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Enjoy!

"Welcome to Sir Karl's humble home."

The Shadow Gear trio exchanged glances, the same thing on all of their minds. Humble couldn't even begin to describe the four-storey mansion that towered above them. It seemed more like a wealthy man's shameless bragging tactic, with its gleaming white walls and endless amounts of windows that stretched across and around the building. The grass surrounding it was an impressive shade of green, and was obviously looked after very carefully, not a hint of yellow appearing anywhere.

The woman who had answered the door smiled politely at them and opened the door wider, an indication for them to stop gawking at the manor and go inside. They did so, staring in awe at the amazing interior that awaited them. The marble floor shone with an unnatural radiance, and a staircase starting from the left of the room wound its way up to the second floor above. The room was decorated with expensive-looking pottery positioned around it in a circular pattern, giving it the certain air that one might find in a museum. Hell, they probably were in a museum for all they knew.

Tucking a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear, the maid pointed towards an inconspicuous door to the side. "He's waiting for you in there."

"This place is really something, isn't it?" Levy whispered to Jet as they crossed the room.

"It's really intimidating," he agreed. He reached over to the door and pushed the handle, swinging the door wide open. On the other side of it was a rather large, warm appearing study, completely opposite in both looks and atmosphere to the front hall. The mages moved inside once they were sure the soles of their shoes weren't covered in dirt, wishing they had been able to check properly before stepping on the luxurious carpet that spanned across the entire study. The curtains were drawn so tightly together that not a hint of the afternoon sun's warm glow could pass through; instead the room was lit by a raging fire in the hearth at the other end of the room, and the three had to pause for a moment in order to allow their eyes to adjust to the dim light.

Sitting on a large leather chair behind an intricately detailed wooden desk was their client, Karl Santoy. He was a middle-aged man with short, blonde hair and a rather thick moustache cloaking his upper lip. He appraised them with a pair of icy blue eyes, and then smiled, unnerving the three.

"Welcome!" he had a deep, commanding voice, and his breath was tinged with the scent of tobacco. "So, you're the ones who took on my request."

"Yes, sir," the blue-haired mage responded. "We'd like to get right down to business if that's okay with you."

"Of course it is! After all, time is money. Let's just skip the formalities, shall we?" He moved around the desk and ushered them towards two dark red couches opposite it. They all squeezed onto one of them, reluctant to separate. There was something about the man that sent chills down her spine, and Levy suddenly wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. But there was no turning back now. Oh well, it'd be better just to hurry up and get the job over with instead of trying to escape. She felt herself sink lower into the sofa, her lap becoming uncomfortably warm. Ignoring it, she decided to break the silence and get down to business.

"If you'd please, we'd like to hear the fortune now," she requested, wincing as his gaze settled on her.

"Right, right," he coughed, clasping his hands together under his chin. "You see, this all goes back to approximately two weeks ago. I have these two nephews I support, very active and lively boys who aren't exactly living one's definition of the perfect life. They're actually pretty intense ruffians travelling with the wrong crowd. And you know how these kinds of boys are, always getting into trouble." His tone of voice started to change, becoming more aggressive. It seemed like his appearance was changing as well, his expression melting into an angrier one. "And those two dumbshits decide to jump three people in an alley, and then the idiots get ambushed themselves! Whoever knocked them out did a hell of a job doing it, he almost killed them! And to top it all off, the three people got out pretty much unharmed, from what I can see in front of me."

The blue-haired mage's eyes grew larger as she realised that he was reciting the incidents of the night two weeks ago, when she and her friends had been attacked. She felt Jet and Droy tense up beside her as they understood what was going on. The former tried to stand up – only to completely fail the action as he was forced back down.

"What the hell?" he hissed, looking at his lap. He gave a yell of surprise, and, startled by his reaction, the other two mages looked down as well and responded to the sight in the exact same way. Their laps had completely disappeared under what looked like the same leather material as cushions they had been sitting on. Their legs were sticking out from the front end of the cushion, moving up and down with great speed as they tried to break out.

"Ah, so you do remember!" Karl exclaimed cheerfully. "Now, now, stop fidgeting – that couch is enchanted, you won't get out so easily – and let me finish the story! When my men found them the assholes were nearly dead, so they've been resting day and night here, healing with some magic medicines we found in the black market. They've had some pretty nasty side effects though, but the boys will just have to do. You see, they've been resting for a real long time all for the time they got to get their revenge. And here's where that fortune comes in! We were told we wouldn't be able to trap the three specific fairies we wanted, even if we enchanted it, and those two guys wouldn't be able to get their sweet, sweet revenge. Now, they're waiting outside and I feel bad for making them hang around there this whole time. After all, they've just been itching to see you. Bullion, Vice, come on in!"

The door swung open, crashing into the wall behind it. Two figures walked in, and Levy couldn't see their faces properly until they were just a few feet away. She held back a gasp as their features became clear, hideous miscoloured scars that hadn't been there before now covering more than half their faces. The one on the left – apparently Vice – was limping; maybe it was a permanent injury? Upon closer inspection Levy realised that both he and Bullion's faces were slightly disfigured, their noses flatter and more crooked than the average person's, and their lips barely visible. Was that all from the remedy the men had taken in order to heal quickly? If there had ever been any stupid decisions made, using medicine sold to you by a shady character had to take the cake.

Bullion scrutinized her for an instant and smirked. She immediately recognised him to be the one whose hand she had bitten, and her breathing hitched as she was transported back in time to that one horrible moment. Droy noticed this and laid his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, although the sentiment was wasted as she didn't even feel it.

"Thanks for helping us out, Karl," Vice grinned, his voice strangely pitched. "You can go; we'll take it from here."

The older man got onto his feet and started to leave the room, but then hovered in the doorway for a second. "Don't stain the carpet with too much blood. It's expensive." He shut the door behind him, leaving the trapped fairies madly trying to escape from the couch.

"Oh this is going to be fun," Bullion smirked, squatting in front of Levy. "Your red-eyed friend may have stopped us last time, but this time he's not here, is he?"

"What red-eyed friend?" Jet asked, still struggling. "Wait, red eyes? Really, really red eyes? Did this guy's arms change into iron?"

"Exactly! Damn bastard broke my ribs!"

"It was Gajeel who saved us? Levy-chan...did you know this?"

"...Yes, I did, but it wasn't something Gajeel is proud of, so I kept it from you guys. I'm sorry!"

"But you should have told -!"

_Smack! _Jet bounced back into the couch, reeling from the sudden hit. "Shut up," Vice hissed, cracking his knuckles. "I didn't come here to listen to your little drama-fest. Now, Bullion, c'mon, use your Puppeteer already!"

"Fine, fine," his partner muttered, standing up. "But you know it doesn't last long, should we make this quick?"

"I don't care. Let's just do it. Pick just one of them, that'll give you a bit more time."

"The black-haired one. He seems like a good choice." Bullion pointed a finger at Droy and waved it in a circle. "Puppeteer Magic: Marionette!"

"Wah?" The leather holding the mage down slipped off his legs – although it remained on his teammates – and he stood up; going to the side of the two sinister men.

"Droy, what are you doing?" Levy asked frantically, starting to push harder against the material keeping her down. She felt a small tear start to form in the fabric – it was working!

"I don't know, I'm not doing this!" he yelled, hysteria present in his voice. The two men laughed; what an enjoyable sight this was for them. The blue-haired mage thought about what they had said, _Puppeteer magic...running out of time...could it be? _Although she felt uncomfortable doing it, she allowed herself to slip back to when they had been in the alleyway that night. She definitely remembered hearing that same phrase at the time, right before the fight had begun. What if the man had controlled all three of them at that time, just until they could bind her and weaken Jet and Droy?

"You guys, I've got it!" she cried out, straining against her restraint. "At least, I think I do! His magic _controls_ you, but it uses up a lot of his magic power in a short time. So the more people he uses it on, the less time he has to control you!"

"Oh, she's a smart one," Vice grimaced. He nodded at Bullion, who waved his fingers around and muttered something under his breath. As he whispered a strange chant the black-haired mage started to scream in agony, doubling over and clutching his head in his hands. His teammates stopped moving and watched him with horror struck looks on their faces, unable to do anything to relieve their friend of the pain he was going through.

"AAAAAAARGH!" he screamed. After no more than half a millisecond, he unexpectedly turned silent and stood up straight, his eyes burning with an eerie blue shine. Behind him, the partners in crime smiled at each other, the second one panting from all the magic he was using up.

"This'll only last for a few minutes...but that's all we're going to need."

"What did you do to him?" Jet yelled, his legs moving at an unnatural speed, spurred on by the strange blankness of Droy's expression. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

"The best part of my magic – taking away his freedom," Bullion grinned. "We've been planning this for a while, you see, we arranged this whole thing specifically so we could watch your buddy over here rip you both apart, before we did the same to him. So, little toy of mine, go. Kill them."

"Droy, what are you doing?" Levy questioned, as he reached into one of the small containers around his chest for the seeds he always kept there. He removed some and tossed them into the air, catching them again with expertise. "Fight it, Droy, you don't have to follow his orders!" He ignored her and threw them down to the ground, watching large, thick vines begin to creep up towards the roof, twisting and writhing menacingly. They drew to their full height and twisted together, forming a drill-like structure.

"Kill her first," Vice said. The puppet nodded and pointed towards the girl. The vines took their cue and lunged at her.

She screamed and turned her face away, bracing herself for the impact. However, instead of feeling the plant drill cut through her chest, she felt a strong breeze blast into her, sending her hair flying everywhere. When it calmed down her eyes shot open, and she grasped the fact that she was being held by Jet, and they were now as far away from their opponents as possible. The couch they had been confined to was torn to shreds, and she understood that the whole time she had been focusing on their mind-controlled partner he had been working on getting out of that trap.

"Get on my back," he commanded her, keeping his gaze on the vines as they wormed their way towards them. She hopped out of his arms and climbed onto his back, wrapping her legs around him tightly. "You attack; I'll dodge, got it? If you have to hit Droy, just knock him out. We'll deal with the other two afterwards."

"I understand," she nodded. He braced himself and started running again, at a pace Bullion and Vice struggled to follow.

"Damn it, get him already!" Bullion yelled, gasping for breath. His hold on the man was getting weaker, there wasn't much time left. Droy launched himself at the orange and brown blur, but missed them completely, instead narrowly avoiding hitting the wall behind them. Little did they know that he hadn't meant to collide with them at all.

Jet smirked. "Too slow!" he yelled, laughing.

"Look out!" Levy screamed, pulling on the left side of his hair. He leaned in with her and lost his balance, just as the vine drill sliced through the space where his head been a second ago. "FIRE, DAMN IT! FIRE!" The word burst into life, orange and bright, and incinerated the plants in less than a minute. They tumbled to the ground, and she rolled away from Jet, ignoring the pain that flared in her side. Droy slowly approached them, grabbing more seeds, ready to finish the job completely. Before he could even toss them to the ground, the high speed mage was back up on his feet and lunged at his comrade, knocking him to the floor.

"Don't even think about it!" he growled, pinning the plant mage down beneath him.

His plan would've been successful if he hadn't forgotten about the other two people in the room. With a swift kick to the chest he was thrown off his friend, and right into the window behind him, the glass cracking from the strength of the hit. Vice moved in, tired of waiting. If that stupid marionette wasn't going to finish the job, then he might as well. All he wanted was to shed some blood, and he'd be damned if he didn't get the chance. Thirsty for revenge, he lifted Jet up, who struggled frantically in his grip. He was so intent on the man in front of him that he didn't notice the small blue-haired girl creep up behind him, raising her hands into the air.

"Lightning!" she shouted. The large, jagged word seemed to shoot with a crackle from her palms, and forcefully wound itself around Jet's attacker, sending burning sparks of electricity running through his entire body. He let out a loud shriek and dropped the orange-haired mage, tearing at his face as the smell of burning flesh started to waft around the room. Levy turned a deaf ear to his cries and kept her magic going, any morsel of remorse for the man exiled from her head. He had taken this whole thing too far now, and she was going to make sure he would pay for every single thing he had done, whether it had been to her or to anyone else. And if it meant she had to burn him into a pile of cinders, so be it. Her plans were foiled when a large heeled boot flung itself into her stomach, knocking the air out of her and sending her into the wall next to the door.

She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with much needed oxygen. Glancing up, she was powerless to run as Bullion slowly sauntered towards her, excitement shining in his eyes. "Now, now, you don't think...you're going to get away for burning...my partner to a crisp do you?" He pointed his thumb back at the jerking mass of red flesh on the ground, static running all over it. "Oh minion of mine...get your ass...over here."

As if he had been there all along, Droy appeared out of nowhere, and Levy felt tears start to burn in her eyes. The bastard had stopped her from giving his comrade what he deserved, and now she had to see her friend like this, a slave to someone else's control. But wait a moment; did he just...wink at her? A surge of hope rose in her chest and she peeked at the ground, where he had just subtly dropped a seed. A thick vine slid across his shoes and started wrapping itself around Bullion's foot. She couldn't prevent the small smile that drifted across her face, an action that startled the man in front of her.

"You think this is all some sort of joke?" he spat breathlessly, clenching his fists tightly together. "Go, finish her off! Now!"

"...No thanks."

"What did you – gah!"

Flying into the air, he was swung around like a baton by Droy's plant, yelling incomprehensible curses as he revolved. The plant mage snapped his fingers, and the vine dutifully let go of the criminal at just the right moment, so he soared through the window like a very ungraceful eagle taking off for flight. There were a few seconds of silence, and then a thud was heard, indicating he had finally fallen.

"My god," Levy sighed, sliding to the ground. They had done it. They had beaten the bad guys! It was about time, too! It only then occurred to her that the left side of her torso was throbbing with an unimaginable pain, one she had somehow ceased to feel. As her partners approached her with proud smiles gracing their bruised features, she saw their grins transform into looks of shock. "What is it?" She pinpointed the location on her they were staring at, and her mouth formed an 'O' as she took in the large, growing circle of blood staining her torn shirt. Pulling the hem upwards, she recoiled at the sight of the wide gash in her flesh, spanning from the middle of her stomach all the way to the end of her waist.

"Holy shit!" Jet exclaimed, staring at the injury. He hastily pulled off his jacket and pressed it against the wound in an attempt to slow down the heavy bleeding. "When the hell did this happen?"

"That vine, I think," she muttered, the world starting to fade to black before her eyes. "Hey, you guys, we won, you know? By ourselves! I told him so."

"What're you talking about? Levy-chan, don't sleep, stay awake! Levy-chan? Wake up!"

* * *

><p><em>Where is she?<em>

Gajeel stole a glance at the iron gates that stood guard in front of Fairy Tail, awaiting the arrival of a certain mage he was meant to meet. He was sitting on a large branch belonging to a tree just a few feet away, lazily watching the streets. He knew he didn't need to do this, it was far too early for the girl to arrive, after all, the sun was just beginning to go down. But after completing the job he took up earlier with ease, nothing else had needed his immediate attention, so he had come here.

He let out a loud yawn, and his eyelids started to droop. Oh damn it, he was getting bored. But a short nap would do no harm, right? Leaning his head against the trunk of the tree, he allowed himself to begin his descent into his dreams.

"OUTTA THE WAY! MOVE IT!"

The Dragon Slayer cracked open an eye, grimacing. Who on earth was the idiot yelling? He cast his gaze down to the road below, where an orange and brown blue shot across his view and nearly collided into the gates. It slowed down and became more defined, and he recognized the orange head of hair under the unnecessarily tall hat. As Jet pushed the gates open with his shoulder he also caught sight of a very familiar blue-haired girl secured in his arms. _Levy? What's going on? Wait; is that __**blood**__ on her shirt?_

Before he could get a better look at her, her teammate started running again, dashing into the guild at an unimaginably fast speed. He jumped out of the guild and landed on the ground with a thud, quickly following suit.

"That better have been my imagination," he muttered to himself as he walked. "Otherwise someone's getting their legs broken."

**A/N: **I feel like I should mention that I made Bullion's magic up for the sake of the story, so please bear with me. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Enjoy!

Gajeel watched Mirajane coax Jet and Droy off their chairs and led them towards the front doors, grabbing her jacket on the way.

"C'mon you guys, it's time to go home" she said, keeping a firm hand on their backs. "You need your rest just as much as she does."

They were reluctant to leave; even though Wendy had already managed to cure Levy's injury to the point where it was wasn't bleeding any more, it would still take a lot of time and magic to completely heal the wound. So, understanding that that was all they could do for now, most of the guild had gone home, except for the remainder of team Shadow Gear, Mirajane and Gajeel. Lucy had wanted to stay, but she and the rest of her team had been sent out to go find the two men who had attacked their friends and teach them a lesson.

"Hey, are you going to stay here all night?" the S-class mage called out, pausing in the doorway. The Dragon Slayer shrugged. During all the commotion in the guild when the orange-haired mage had run in with Levy, he hadn't even been able to get close to her. Every single person in the guild had swarmed the two, half of them rushing the blue-haired girl into the clinic while the rest of them bombarded Jet, and a few minutes later Droy, once he had returned as well. Gajeel had been interested to learn what had happened, although after hearing the whole story it had taken all his willpower not to go rip their heads off for not protecting their comrade. Brain-washed or not, none of that mattered to him. They should have been looking out for her. Wasn't that the point of being in a team?

Unable to do anything else afterwards, he had been forced to laze around at the bar and eat his weight in iron as the chaos slowly died. And now that the guild was going to be empty, he could finally go and see her.

"Since you're staying, keep an eye out for anything odd," Mirajane ordered, slipping on her coat.

He waited until the door was firmly shut before moving towards the clinic, reaching it in a few long strides. He headed inside the dark room and walked to the bed closest to the window, where Levy was asleep, in bright, clean clothes and wearing a small frown on her face as she dreamt. But apart from a few odd bruises and small cuts here and there, she looked fine. As soon as he took in this sight every muscle in his body seemed to suddenly relax; he hadn't realised just how worried he had been. However, when his gaze rested on the blood-stained shirt on the floor he clenched his fists tightly, restraining himself. He couldn't overreact. She looked healthy, and for now, that was all that mattered.

Taking a seat on the ground beside the bed, he rested his back against the wall and took a deep breath. It was surprising how much he had started to care for her in such a short amount of time. It definitely wasn't normal for him; the only person he was used to actually giving a damn about was himself. Although even he had to admit that a lot of the fairies had grown on him, but none of them mattered in comparison to her. He ran a hand through his hair and chuckled. This was absolutely ridiculous. Here he was sitting on a dusty floor just waiting for nothing in particular to happen. True, going out and breaking some bones would've been a lot more fun, but right now, he was content.

After a few more minutes of silence he heard movement in the bed above him and looked up; was she awake? His question was answered when she raised herself up and automatically moved her hand to her side, hissing when it caused her pain.

"Welcome back," he said. He didn't realise she couldn't see him when she shrieked, nearly jumping out of the bed.

"Who's there?" she yelled, raising her arms in defence. He groaned as he stood up, and she nearly screeched again before she recognized the glowing crimson eyes staring at her. "Gajeel?" She let out a sigh of relief as she made out his features in the darkness. "Don't scare me like that will you?"

She dropped back on to the bed, letting out a small cry as a stabbing feeling ran up her side. "Where are we?"

"In the clinic," Gajeel answered, taking a seat beside her. "Jet brought you here. You got pretty messed up on that mission, huh?"

She reached under her shirt and lightly rubbed the bandages she could feel underneath it. "I guess so," she murmured. "It's a pretty big injury. But hey, we won right? They didn't beat us again."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed as he recalled the two men whom he had left to bleed out in the alley. "I should've killed them then," he growled, clenching his fists. It was bad enough that they had attacked her once, but they had actually had the nerve to set up a trap just so that they could ambush them once more! As he deliberated over the matter rage started to build up inside him, and he could feel bloodlust start to cloud his mind. It was their fault Levy had had to go through all of this, they were the reason she was lying in one of the clinic beds hurt again. He would have probably paid them a visit if Salamander's team hadn't already been going with intentions quite close to his own, though not intense. He felt a small hand rest on his shoulder, and he looked down at its owner, who was gazing up at him with concern.

"Cool down," she ordered. He swatted her hand away and stood up, fiercely glaring at the wall. She watched him carefully, curious as to what was going on in his mind. In fact, at that time his feelings of anger were changing direction from Bullion and Vice to Jet and Droy.

"How could you be so calm?" he exclaimed suddenly, startling the girl. "Don't you realise what happened to you? Your own teammate practically carved a hole in your stomach!"

"He wasn't himself," she whispered, frightened by his attitude.

"That's no excuse! Even that orange-haired dimwit wasn't able to help you! He told us your battle plan; he was supposed to be _dodging_. But the bastard gets cocky and you have to go save his ass! I shouldn't be angry at those two shitfaces from the alley; your friends deserve almost half the blame for this as well!"

"They did nothing wrong!" the exasperation in Levy's voice somehow spurred the Dragon Slayer's emotions, serving to infuriate him even more.

"Look at your stomach and tell me that's nothing! Go on!"

"That wasn't their fault! They ended up saving my life, remember? And besides, it's not that bad anymore."

"It's not that bad anymore? Are you kidding me? Did you see how much blood you lost?" He picked up her discarded shirt and tossed it onto her bed, watching her grimace at the piece of clothing. She gingerly picked it up and dropped it back onto the ground. "See that? I do! If I had been there instead of those useless teammates of yours, that wouldn't have happened. You would be fine, the rest of this day would have been fine, and NOTHING WOULD HAVE HAPPENED."

"If you had been there they would have ended up controlling you instead of Droy! And then who knows what they would have made you do!

"They wouldn't have had a chance to even get near me."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I'm not as weak as those dumbass friends of yours."

"STOP INSULTING THEM!" she yelled. The rage in Levy's voice took him by surprise, and he became quiet. She was glowering at him furiously, clenching the sheets around her so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. "Dammit, Gajeel! I was so proud of my team after we won and I don't appreciate you repeatedly badmouthing them! THE GUY WAS USING SOME FREAKY PUPPET MAGIC ON DROY, and then I got hurt. It happens! IT WILL ALWAYS HAPPEN. If you had been there it would have made NO DIFFERENCE. But there's no point in blaming anyone! And to think I was actually looking forward to telling you about our victory..." Her eyes started to glisten, and Gajeel felt his anger flicker and die quickly as if it was a candle being snubbed out by a harsh wind blowing in from an open window. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine...but that doesn't matter. Just stop being such an ass!" She looked away and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and he suddenly became aware of a horrible twisting in his stomach.

"Levy, I – " she raised her palm into the air, stopping his sentence.

"Knowing you, I probably won't want to hear it," she sighed, the energy that had allowed her to rant suddenly disappearing. After wiping the small droplets of water away from under her eyes she slid back under the sheets and turned her head away from him. "I'm going to sleep now. You can find your way out right?"

He didn't know what to do; should he stay, or should he leave? After being effectively stopped in his tracks by her he felt absolutely ashamed with himself. There he was, making Levy feel terrible when all he had wanted was for her to be alright. He exhaled loudly. Now was one of those times where he would just have to suck up his pride and admit that maybe he was wrong to judge them so easily without fully understanding the situation. Okay, so maybe he wouldn't actually say that aloud, however just considering it was a huge step for Gajeel. But he knew that if he just left her now it would cause a rift to form between them, one that he might not be able to repair.

"No, I can't." Before she could even protest he had climbed onto the tiny bed, effectively trapping her under the covers. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in towards him, her small body fitting snugly into his own.

"Go away," she mumbled, burying her face into the pillow. Ignoring her wishes he leaned his forehead against the back of her neck and took a deep breath, trying to get rid of the shame he felt for upsetting her. He hadn't realised just how much his words would hurt her until he had seen the look on her face when she was yelling at him. Even if he did really feel that way about her friends, it was obvious that she wouldn't tolerate his rudeness.

"Look," he started, attempting to find the right words to describe his situation. "I...ugh, dammit, give me a minute. I'm still pissed as hell at your friends...but I'm even angrier at myself now for taking it out on you of all people. I don't care about their feelings, or limbs, heads, whatever, even if they had been skewered on wooden posts, I wouldn't care as long as you were okay. You matter more to me than they or anyone else does...So...don't cry, and don't be sad. And don't stay angry at me."

He waited anxiously for her to respond, his mouth feeling odd from the words he had just had to say. The words he hadn't planned on admitting aloud, feelings he had clearly expressed but in a completely wrong way, as he had just learned. He snapped back to attention when she removed her face from the pillow and rested her gaze on the ground.

"...You can't do this," Levy groaned, reaching over to lightly punch his arm. "You can't be a complete jerk and then try being nice. It won't work."

"Hey, they say imperfection is better than perfection, right?"

"No, they don't."

"Well they should."

She remained quiet and moved closer to him, seeking warmth that the bed was lacking. "Don't get the wrong idea, I'm still mad at you," she warned him, emitting a loud yawn.

"I'll just have to soften you up" he replied, resting his head on the pillow.

"You're really mean."

"I know."

"Really, really, really mean."

"I know."

Though she fell asleep shortly after that, he stayed awake a lot longer, the only thing on his mind being the question of how he could ever make it up to her for making her cry.

* * *

><p>As Lucy walked to the guild early the next morning, she found her thoughts wandering to the events of the night before, to right when they had found the men they had been searching for.<p>

**Flashback**

"_Ha ha ha! I can't believe this! They threw him out the window!"_

_Natsu and Happy gazed in awe through the broken glass, where a limp body was lying face down on the grass below. It was barely even a drop, but it seemed to have done the trick. Behind him, his teammates were inspecting a badly burnt figure on the other side of the wrecked room, near the fireplace. The man moaned and rolled onto his back, grumbling to himself, too weak to do anything else._

"_I have to say, I'm impressed," Erza commented, leaning down to get a better look at the man's face. "He's no-one I recognize. Didn't Jet say there were three people in the beginning?"_

"_Then we have one more to go," Gray said, backtracking out the study's door. Loud crunches could be heard with each step he took as he carelessly walked over the shards of glass littered across the floor. "You two tie those guys up, Lucy and I will look around for the third one. C'mon, Lucy!"_

_Lucy obediently followed him out the door and they started walking up the spiralling staircase. "Now that I have you alone," the ice mage started, slowing down his pace. "Tell me, how is dating Natsu?"_

"_Eh?" the blonde felt her face growing hot, and quickly looked away. "What kind of question are you asking me?" It was a strange question to be asked by a guy, especially by Gray, nonetheless! He chuckled at her embarrassment and reached over to pat her head._

"_Relax, relax, it's just a question. I always figured you'd go for the romantic type, rather than the immature and reckless type."_

"_Natsu can be romantic!" Her mind drifted to the time when he first confessed his feelings to her, and her heart skipped a beat, strangely affected by the memory. She gazed at her fingers, a smile crossing her face. Romantic moments or none, that didn't matter to her. Truthfully, he wasn't really the type to go out on a limb and do something passionate, he was far to clueless to even begin to contemplate on how to plan a situation like that. But it didn't matter to her, because in his own way, he was the most romantic man she had ever met._

"_Oi, are you still here?"_

_She would've tripped over the last stair if Gray hadn't held her arm and prevented her from falling. "T-that's, erm...um...yes, I a-am!" she stammered, feeling her cheeks grow an impossible shade of red. The devilish grin on his face mortified her, it seemed as though he was taking pleasure in making her feel uncomfortable. _

"_Breathe," her companion ordered in a low voice, steering her towards the closest door. "I know it seems odd for me to be asking you this crap, it's just that Mirajane's been begging me for details, and I figured that it'd be better to ask you rather than Natsu."_

"_You're doing this just for the gossip?" she asked incredulously, speaking softly when he raised a finger to his lips._

"_That, and I kind of have a bet going with some of the guys in the guild."_

"_...You people are horrible."_

"_Hey, you're one of us people!" He fell silent and pressed an ear against the door, listening closely. "Do you hear that?"_

_Although still irritated by the new knowledge she had gained, she imitated his actions and paid attention to the noises coming from the other side. She nodded in confirmation, yes, she could hear that. It sounded like a man singing happily to himself, unaware of the circumstances around him. She raised an eyebrow at the ice mage, mouthing the question 'What should we do?' He motioned for them to break the door down, but she formed a large X with her arms, indicating she didn't like this idea. Unfortunately, her opinion didn't matter to him, and he raised a shoe and blew the door off its hinges with a measly kick. The two mages were greeted with the sight of a half-naked middle-aged man, his chest bare and everything below his torso covered by a towel that hung precariously from his hips. He immediately cut off his off-key singing and sent a glare in their direction._

"_What the hell?" he yelled, tightening his hold on the towel. "Who the hell are you?"_

"_The exterminators," Gray grinned, pounding a fist into his open palm. "It seems like our friends missed a rather filthy insect, and we're here to get rid of it."_

_The time it took for Gray to trap the man astounded Lucy, who was left to stand in the doorway idly while he encased his opponent in a large block of ice. It stopped just short of the man's chin, and you could clearly hear his teeth chattering from the cold, the snarl on his face seeming to be just as frozen as the rest of him. "W-where are B-bullion and Vice?" he managed to spit out, his voice raspier than it had been before. _

"_Do you mean those two who were knocked out cold and sprawled all over the floor downstairs?"_

"_Y-you're joking! Those i-idiots! W-when I get m-my hands on them..."_

_He showed off his creativity in the ways of torture for the next few minutes before the two fairies became bored with his speech. They left him in the ice upstairs and quickly went down to alert the other two of their finding, ignoring the man's yells as he demanded that they come back immediately and release him. Erza and Natsu met them in the front hall, dragging along the other two tied up criminals behind them. Happy was hovering above them, listening to the noise floating down the staircase._

"_What's that racket?" the scarlet-haired mage asked, grimacing as louder shouts echoed down from above. _

"_The ringleader, I guess," Gray replied. "You know, I don't think we can do anything else to them. Shadow Gear seems to have already done quite a job, surprisingly. What should we do now?"_

"_Hand them over to the authorities I suppose."_

"_Alright then, let's go."_

**End of Flashback**

Instead of going through all the trouble of hauling the three men to the Magic Council's police force's station in Magnolia, they had decided on freezing them in the same block of ice as their leader, and had gone to the station where they gave the details of where the three could be found and why they had to be arrested. Of course, thanks to Fairy Tail's bad reputation with the police, they had demanded that Gray and Erza escort them to the manor as proof that this wasn't some silly prank formed to waste their time. So the two mages had grudgingly gone back with them, while the remainder of their team went and spent the night at Lucy's house (much to her dismay, as she had been planning to take a long and steaming bath, plans that had been foiled by her partner's presence.)

And now, after dressing up and eating her breakfast quietly to make sure that she wouldn't awaken her sleeping teammates, she had finally arrived at her destination. It had been hard for her to fall asleep the night before; she had been plagued with worry for her friend's wellbeing. Was the gouge in her stomach deep? What about Jet and Droy, were they as badly injured as well? It seemed as though every time something good happened an opposing force was lingering in the background, waiting for its chance to tear them all down. But there would be better times around the corner, right? After all, now that the people who had threatened the lives of the Shadow Gear trio were imprisoned, it only seemed fair that they should be able to relax.

She strolled through the empty guild and stopped in front of the clinic's door, hesitant to go inside. What would she see when she went inside? She hadn't even managed to get a glimpse of Levy the night before, was it as bad as it had sounded? Or had they just been exaggerating? She had her hopes on the latter. _Calm down, _she told herself, placing her palm on the door's handle. _Wendy probably helped with Levy. Thank god for that girl's magic._

Steeling herself, she swung the door open. She opened her mouth to announce her presence to her friend, but lapsed into silence when she spotted not one, but _two_ figures in the bed Levy was meant to be occupying. She had, of course, expected to see the small blue-haired mage, but the hulking figure of the Iron Dragon Slayer entangled with Levy's came as a shock to her. Quickly looking back to make sure no-one else had come into the guild, she quickly crossed the room and stood at the foot of the bed, unsure of how to approach the situation. They were extremely lucky it was her who had found them, and not anyone else.

"Erm...you guys?" she said quietly, getting no response. She cleared her throat and raised her voice a little. "You guys! Wake up!"

It was Gajeel who awoke first, slowly manoeuvring himself away from Levy and off the bed. Raising a finger to his lips, he indicated for Lucy to follow him. She was sceptical at first as to whether she should do as he asked, but her curiosity got the better of her and she decided to go see what he wanted. When they were back in the hall standing to the side of the bar, she decided to finally ask him what this was about.

"Don't go crazy on me," he stated before she could say a word. She stared at him in confusion, wondering if she had just heard him correctly. Why would she 'go crazy'?

"Why, what is it?" she asked.

He mumbled something in such a low voice that she couldn't make out anything he was saying, and she leaned in forward to hear him better. "Say it again," she commanded.

"...Levy and I had a fight yesterday and I...I wasn't exactly the greatest gentleman in the world and I made her cry -"

"YOU MADE HER CRY?"

"It was stupid, I know, I know!"

"THAT'S MORE THAN STUPID, HOW DARE YOU DO THAT! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM? DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT HORRIBLE TIMING THAT WAS TO EVEN THINK ABOUT STARTING A FIGHT WITH HER?"

"Look I was pissed off because she was hurt, okay? Damn it, I don't have to explain myself to you! Just help me fix it!"

Lucy rolled her eyes and started to rub her temples, taking deep breaths to calm down. She was incredibly, unimaginably angry at the Dragon Slayer, and was about to give him what he deserved when she momentary looked into his eyes. There, you could see everything he was feeling as if it was being presented on a silver platter. And she could see guilt as clear as daylight, and a fierce determination that only enhanced the glow of his crimson irises. _He's actually serious about this, _she mused, both surprised and amazed. _Woah._

"...Alright, I'll help," she accepted, noticing the relief that crossed over his face. "You know what you're going to do? You go in there, wait until she wakes up, and apologize."

"...That's it? That's really the best you could come up with?"

"What did you think you would have to do?"

"I don't know, something that will actually work?"

"It will work!"

The two continued to argue, unaware that just outside the front door someone was listening to their every word.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Many apologies for the wait! But I'm afraid you'll have to wait even longer for Chapter 11, because I'm going on a field trip to a small place called Mekele for four days, so I won't have any time to write. But for now, please enjoy this chapter!

When Gray had decided to eavesdrop on Lucy and Gajeel's conversation, it had been a spur of the moment thing. Upon his arrival at the guild he had heard the two's loud discussion through the door, and had chosen to crouch in front of it and try to get into a better position to hear everything rather than go inside and announce his presence. And now that he had heard what they had to say, he was utterly and thoroughly baffled. _So...Gajeel made Levy cry...and he's __**regretting **__it? And he wants Lucy's __**help**__? What the hell is going on here?_

"You're absolutely useless," the Dragon Slayer moaned loudly.

"If you don't think my advice is good then don't ask me!" Lucy huffed. "She's your girlfriend; you should be able to figure something out on your own."

_...Girlfriend? _A wide smile stretched across Gray's face as he took in this information. All of a sudden the rest of their conversation didn't matter anymore, that sentence had provided him with enough knowledge to send the guild into a state of absolute chaos. _Oh, this is absolutely fantastic. Ha ha ha! It's just too crazy to be true! _After all, who would have ever harboured the idea of Levy and Gajeel dating? That was absolutely impossible! One would've thought that even Jet or Droy, both of whom she had rejected before, would have had a much better shot than he ever would have had. And just how long had they been together? It couldn't have been that long; secrets like this were never kept underground for long. Or were they just much better at hiding it than anyone else?

"Damn it, woman! How can Levy even stand you?"

"Well for starters, I don't go and verbally attack her while she's hurt!"

"I WAS ANGRY!"

"Oh, like that's an excuse!"

The ice mage silently backed away from the door, the grin on his face becoming larger with every step. He couldn't wait to tell someone, anyone even, about this. Mira first, maybe after that Juvia, and then Erza and Natsu! However, just as this notion popped into his head, something else occurred to him. Why exactly were they keeping it a secret? There must have been a reason; you didn't just keep things hidden for the sake of it. All of a sudden he felt guilty for even considering running around screaming to the whole town when it was clearly not his secret to tell. At least, not until he found out why they were hiding it. _I feel like a teenage girl_, he mentally groaned, smacking his forehead with the base of his palm. _I really need to stop letting Mira influence me like this._

"You know what, screw this, I already apologized!"

"Did that apology include the words 'I'm sorry'?"

"...They were implied."

"That's great."

He stifled a laugh and for a moment considered just sitting there and continuing listening to the argument. Deciding it would be better for him to just walk into the guild and ask them what was going on (and knowing he was going to regret it in the near future), he was about to do so when he felt a hand grasp his shoulder, and a tall, familiar hat came into view.

"Hey!" Jet greeted him cheerfully. Droy came up behind him and did the same, neither of the mages noticing the distracted look on Gray's face. _Uh oh,_ he thought. _Something tells me that these two don't know about this; otherwise they'd have been seriously depressed this entire week._

"Jet, Droy!" he called out loudly, hoping the two arguing inside would hear him over their bickering. "What are you guys doing here so early?"

"Coming to visit Levy-chan," the plant-mage stated, walking past him and towards the door.

"Oh, I'll come with you guys!"

"Gray, you don't need to shout, we're right next to you."

"Right, right, my bad!"

"You're still shouting."

They flung the doors wide open, and Gray let out a huge sigh of relief when he saw Gajeel draped over one of the tables, supposedly fast asleep. Lucy crept out from behind the clinic's door and waved at them, motioning for them to be quiet. "She's still asleep," she whispered once they were close enough to hear. "Why don't you guys just come back later?" She seemed hopeful that they would listen to her and leave, but unfortunately for her they were firmly rooted to the ground, obviously not planning to go anywhere any time soon.

"We want to see her now," Jet pleaded. "We promise we'll be quiet, right, Droy?"

"Right!" his partner agreed. The blonde considered it for a moment, sighed and went back into the clinic. The remainder of team Shadow Gear took this as an invitation inside and smiled in victory. They followed her in and quietly shut the door behind them, and an audible click echoed throughout the now almost unoccupied hall. The now shirtless black-haired mage glanced back at the Dragon Slayer, who was still pretending to be completely unconscious. Was now the right time to ask him about Levy? Well, if he was honest with himself, there probably was no right time. _Oh well, I'd better get this over with._

"So, Gajeel, you and Levy huh?" he mused aloud. He spied his target twitch from the corner of his eye, but after that there was no more movement. "I wonder what everyone else thinks about this situation. I should go ask Jet and Droy what their opinions are."

He started forward when his progress was stopped by a long iron pillar that seemed to suddenly appear out of nowhere. "Stop right there," Gajeel growled, lifting himself up and retracting his arm. Gray suppressed the urge to smile; that had been much easier than expected. "You were out there before those two idio- _guys_, weren't you? Were you listening?"

"To that lovely conversation between you and Lucy? Of course not!"

His sarcasm didn't help the atmosphere in the room, as he could feel rage emanating from Gajeel's every pore. "You will tell no-one, do you hear me?" he hissed angrily, raising a first as if warning him what would happen if he did. "It's bad enough that Levy accidently let Salamander find out along with the bunny, she doesn't want anyone else to know right now and I'm going to make sure it stays that way."

"Wait, wait, _Natsu _knows? And he didn't tell me about this?"

"He knew to keep his mouth shut!"

"Sorry, Gajeel, but I want the whole story. Do you want me to have to go confront Lucy about it?"

Gajeel opened his mouth to reply when the door to the clinic opened, and Levy's three visitors tiptoed outside, two of them giving Gray a satisfied thumbs up, completely oblivious to the tension between the two mages in the middle of the room.

"We're going to go buy Levy-chan a present," Droy informed them as they practically rushed to the entrance. "A nice book to read while she's there, maybe! See you guys later!"

And then they were gone, unaware that they were leaving what was bound to be a very awkward situation. "So, Lucy," the black-haired mage began, moving closer to her and resting his elbow on her shoulder. "I heard about that little secret you've been keeping for Gajeel and Levy. Would you like to let me in on the rest?"

xXx

When Levy awoke, she opened her eyes to a picture-perfect setting. The room was illuminated by the rays of sunlight streaming in from through the window, and she could hear the faint chirps of birds outside. On a normal day she would've admired this scene, but once the fight between her and Gajeel resurfaced in her mind, there was no possible way she could enjoy it.

_He was so...ugh!_ she thought angrily, bringing her knees to her chest and resting her forehead on them. In a mere matter of minutes he had managed to change her mood from normal to absolutely furious. _Did he really think going and verbally attacking my teammates was going to benefit anyone? _Sighing, she turned her head and looked at the door, listening to the faint murmurs coming from the other side. She didn't concentrate on them, though, she was more focused on the memory of his...well, _explanation_, as it wasn't exactly an apology. _Maybe I was being bit unfair..._she reflected, biting her lip. _He was just thinking of me...and he's much more comfortable with expressing his feelings with violence or harsh words...ugh, I don't want to think about this._

A loud rumbling sound in her stomach informed her that it was time to get some food. Sliding off the bed and onto her feet, she winced as a stabbing pain in her side reminded her of exactly why she was in the clinic. With every step she took a sharp jolt ran up her torso, and she groaned. She hadn't realised how much it would hurt when she actually got up and started she'd be damned if she didn't get to eat some breakfast. As she drew closer to the door, the voices she had noticed earlier grew louder and clearer.

"NO WAY!"

"Be quiet, you'll wake up Levy-chan!"

"I'm already awake," she called out in a sing-song voice as she pushed the door open. Her statement caught the attention of the three fairies in the centre of the hall, who immediately ended their conversation when she stepped through the doorway. Their stares unnerved her, and she slowly made her way to them, determined not to be put off by their odd behaviour. "You guys okay?"

They continued to eyeball her until a smile broke out on Gray's face, as if it had been waiting for just the right moment to pop up. "Hey there, Levy," he greeted her, slinking away from Lucy. "Listen, I'm so sorry, but these two just can't keep a secret. They told me everything."

"Huh?" The true meaning of his sentence didn't reach her until she actually focused on the words he had just spoken, her mouth forming an 'O' in realisation. "HUH?"

"I'm afraid it's true. I asked Lucy just one question and she sang like a canary."

"EH?"

The blonde rushed over and clamped a hand over her comrade's mouth. "Levy-chan, it's not my fault, he overheard me and Gajeel talking, so I had to tell him everything. He threatened to tell Mirajane if I didn't!"

The blue-haired mage stole a glance past the muzzled mage to the long-haired man behind him. He was watching her intently, unflinching as her eyes met his. What was he thinking? It was as if he had put on a mask; he was showing absolutely no emotion at all. Did he just not care? Or was he upset about the night before? But that would have to wait; right now she had a problem. Unfortunately another member of Fairy Tail's strongest team knew about her relationship. Was it really that hard to keep a secret? "Gray, please don't tell anyone about this," she sighed, moving towards a table and seating herself on its edge. "I'm hoping Lucy told you why we're keeping it a secret."

"Yeah, yeah, I won't say a word," Gray promised once he managed to remove the blonde's palm from his mouth. "But why did you tell Natsu instead of me? I mean, Natsu of all people! You know he's going to rub it in my face, right?"

"It was an accident. He wasn't really supposed to hear anything."

"Do you really think that's going to stop him?"

"...Not really," The sour look that appeared on his face caused Levy to start giggling, and in just a minute it turned into full blown laughter. She didn't know what was causing this, the situation definitely wasn't as humorous as she made it seem. But all the tension she had been holding onto was quickly seeping away, and it was a great feeling. For the moment, everything would be fine. Obviously, he wouldn't say anything to anyone, and she was grateful. It was by complete chance that it had been him who had been standing outside the door, and she knew that there wouldn't be as many lucky breaks in the future. Sooner or later they would tell everyone the truth, but for now, it could wait, and she could simply laugh the time away. "...It's really not that funny."

"I know, I know, sorry," she apologized, clutching her side as small jolts of pain popped up. "Ow, that hurts."

She found herself being whisked away back to the clinic by her blonde friend. "C'mon, I'll get you some medicine for that. Until then, just rest."

"But hey, I'm hungry!"

"Tough luck!"

As she was shoved into the infirmary she opened her mouth to argue that she was perfectly fine and wanted to go eat some breakfast, when Lucy's next words surprised her.

"Levy-chan, forgive him."

"Huh?" Could she be talking about what Levy thought she was talking about?

"Gajeel told me about that little fight between you guys. Look, I know just as well as you do what a jerk he can be, but –"

"Wait, he _told_ you about it? Really?"

"Well, not in so many words, he only said he made you cry and wanted to make everything alright again."

"...He _asked you for advice_?"

"Let me finish!"

She continued talking, but Levy was far gone. She was still completely stunned by the fact that the Dragon Slayer had actually gone and asked her friend for help. It was something completely unlike him, and she knew it must have been hard for him to squash his pride. But even so, she didn't know the whole story. Maybe Lucy was just trying to get her to patch things up with him. Unfortunately for her, the bookworm wasn't ready just yet to give him the privilege of being forgiven. "Are you listening?" the blonde exclaimed in frustration, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"I really don't want to think or talk about this, Lu-chan," she replied, sitting down. "Can we just leave it alone for now?"

"But – "

"Let's get some food! I'm starving."

Lucy sighed and went back to the door. "I'll get you some food. Just relax."

"I will."

xXx

"Natsu!"

Natsu smiled with delight as Lucy jumped into his arms, nearly knocking him over. In one hand she was holding a plate with a small sandwich on it. "Food!" Before she could even stop him he had swiftly snatched it up and stuffed it into his mouth. He grinned cheekily as an irritated look crossed her face.

"That was for Levy-chan!" she sighed, going back behind the bar to make another one. The pink-haired mage shrugged and went over to sit with Gray and Gajeel, who were eating their own meals. There was an uncomfortable silence between them, one which was made even stranger by the odd smirk on his teammate's face. _That's really creepy, _he shuddered, planting himself on a chair. But then again, this whole atmosphere was rather uncomfortable. It was as if he had interrupted something, but he had absolutely no clue what it could have been.

"Hey, Droopy-eyes, what's that grin for?" he asked, poking the ice mage's forehead. Gray smacked his finger away and took a bite of the food on his plate. "Oi, I asked you a question!"

The mage stayed silent for a moment before jumping out of his chair, surprising the two Dragon Slayers. "I can't believe you didn't tell me about Levy and Gajeel! I mean, come on, this is absolutely hilarious!"

"Wait, you know!" he exclaimed in disbelief. Gray nodded and explained that he had only found out half an hour ago, and he was extremely disappointed that he hadn't known about this before. "Well, I knew first, so ha!" He

"Shut up, that doesn't matter."

"Oh yes it does! Did you also get that picture in your head of Gajeel on bended knee giving flowers to Levy?"

"What? Ha ha ha! Where on earth did you get that idea?"

"It just came to me. Admit it, it's hilarious."

"They're such an odd couple, aren't they?"

As the two chatted away, gossiping like schoolgirls with nothing better to do, they didn't notice Gajeel begin to slowly grow more and more frustrated with their conversation. And they certainly didn't detect the hostility he was emanating towards them in the hopes of scaring them away. Finally tired with tolerating their discussion, he slammed his fist onto the table, sending a loud thud echoing around the room. "Will you two shut up already?" he growled, giving them his signature death glare.

"What crawled up your ass and died?"

Muttering angrily to himself, the Iron Dragon Slayer stood up and sauntered out of the guild, slamming the door loudly behind him. The two men he had left behind exchanged puzzled glances. "Seriously, what the hell crawled up his ass and died?" Natsu repeated, raising an eyebrow. Gray shrugged.

"He's probably still testy after his fight with Levy," he replied.

"What? They fought?"

"Well, I really don't know the details, but I think he made her cry."

"That's mean! Who would want to make tiny little Levy cry?"

"If they're dating, I don't think he did it intentionally."

"Jeez, you guys are just as bad as Mira and I, do you know that?" Lucy commented, appearing from behind the bar with a brand new plate of food for her friend. She started towards the infirmary but was blocked by Natsu, who slid his arm around her shoulder and whisked her around.

"So, what do you plan to do, Lucy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well you have to have a plan to fix the problem between those two, right?"

"...I think I should just let them figure out their problem themselves."

"...What?" She rolled her eyes and lightly pushed his shoulder.

"Of course I have a plan, you idiot! And you two are going to help me, so listen closely!"


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **I know what you're thinking, why would I update after such a long time? Well, to be very brief, I've been pretty busy with school and life and everything, but I was re-reading this story yesterday when it hit me that I really wanted to finish it. So, I will. To those who still actually want to read this, please enjoy. :)

* * *

><p>"Levy!"<p>

Levy watched Gajeel nearly topple down the stairs and skid to a stop in front of her, breathing heavily. Behind him, the cellar door slammed shut and a loud click echoed throughout the room. He looked around at his surroundings, taking sight of the barrels and crates that took up most of the space, and swung his gaze back to the small blue-haired mage, who was sitting cross-legged against the wall, with a an open book on her lap.

"Yes," she asked, watching his eyes widen with surprise.

"You...you're alright?" he asked, his voice tinted with disbelief.

"I'm fine," she replied warily, placing her book on her lap. "I was just reading. I really don't like being in that clinic, so Lu-chan suggested I hide here so that no-one could try to send me back there."

"...That damn bunny tricked me!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

He ignored her question and ran back up the stairs, slamming into the door with his shoulder. However, it didn't budge at all. "What the hell?" he shook the handle but to no avail, it simply wouldn't open. "Damn it! It's stuck!"

"Gajeel!" Levy yelled, standing up. "What's going on?"

**Flashback**

"_Gajeel! GAJEEL!"_

_He heard his name being called and turned around, looking for the culprit. A blonde head of hair was bobbing up and down as its owner ran towards him, waving both arms left and right rapidly. He raised an eyebrow, slightly confused and annoyed by her presence. There was a reason he had just left the guild, and he hadn't expected to be stalked all the way down the street_.

"_What do you want?" he sighed, not in the mood for company._

"_It's...Levy-chan..." she panted, her face flushed bright red. "Stairs...fell...hurt..." She couldn't string together a proper sentence, and the Dragon Slayer impatiently waited for her to catch her breath. _

"_What about Levy?"_

"_She wanted to hide before Mira came and could force her back to the clinic...she didn't want to be in that room anymore…she couldn't walk all the way home in her condition, so we told her to go to the clinic and hide, so we could pretend she went out for some fresh air...but she tripped and fell down the stairs...I didn't know what to do, I told Natsu and Grey not to touch her, her leg is twisted in some weird position and –"_

_Before she had even finished her sentence he was racing back towards the guild, angry at himself for leaving her in the care of those dimwits. __**You idiot! **__He silently cursed, picking up his pace. Yes, he had been incredibly uncomfortable, and yes he had left the guild specifically because those two nimrods were irritating the hell out of him and he knew if she came out of the clinic again he wouldn't be able to face her, but after hearing what had happened to her they seemed like shallow, stupid reasons.__** Why the hell does she keep on getting hurt when I'm not around?**_

**End of Flashback**

"And you just blatantly believed her? Why would she even say that?"

"I don't know, and what else was I supposed to do? She said you were hurt, I wasn't going to just walk away!"

As her cheeks began to glow scarlet he turned away and started on the door handle again. The damn thing just wouldn't budge a bit! After another few attempts, a small square piece of paper slid under the crack of the door and between his feet, floating down the staircase. It landed right in front of the bottom step, and from where he was he could see a few lines of black scribbles on it. Levy scraped it off the dusty ground and lifted it to her face.

"Dear Gajeel and Levy-chan," she recited aloud as he bounded down the steps towards her. "Natsu and I have locked you in the cellar and refuse to let you out until you guys make up. If you think anyone else will let you out, think again. Gray is spreading a rumour that there's a massive cockroach infestation in the cellar, and that we're going to take care of it so everyone should just stay out of the guild in the meantime in case it spreads." Finished with the first side, she turned it over. "Don't worry, we're right outside, but you're not getting out until we can guarantee you two have talked and solved your problems. Love, Lucy and Natsu."

"Those stupid fairies," he growled, clenching his fists. "I'm going to kill them when I get out of here."

Moving back up, he threw himself at the door, and, to both of their great surprise, bounced right off, landing unceremoniously at the bottom of the stairs in a crumpled heap. As Levy attempted to stifle her giggles another small piece of paper floated down towards them. She caught it in mid-air and read the small message. "P.S. For the next twenty-four hours, this locked door is now rubber. Try smashing it to pieces, ha ha!"

As every single curse word he knew ran through his head in a long stream of profanity, he noticed she had gone silent. "Aren't you the tiniest bit upset? You're locked in here as well, you know."

"Actually, it was a good idea," she mused aloud, surprising him. Was she actually supporting this crazy idea? "I mean, she knew how I felt about the whole situation, but if she thinks this is the right way to go, and since we're locked in here until we go along with her plans, let's do it. Let's talk."

* * *

><p>Lucy knelt in front of the cellar door with her ear pressed against it. Beside her, Natsu had grown tired with scribbling on the small pad of paper they had used to write their note and was now playing with a lock of her hair, utterly and completely bored.<p>

"C'mon Lucy, it's been twenty minutes and they haven't said a word," he moaned, twisted her hair around his finger, giving it a thick blonde scarf. "Let's go and do something."

"I told them on the note we'd be right outside!" she protested, sitting up straight. "Besides, don't you want to hear what they want to say?"

"Not really."

She rolled her eyes and sat up straight, stretching her arms high into the air. So it hadn't been the most creative plan in the world, but it had worked just like a charm. Simple elegance; that was how she would describe it. Of course, when she had first told Gray and Natsu about her plan they had been rather sceptical about it, but she had managed to prove their doubts to be completely unnecessary when Natsu had successfully concealed himself from Gajeel as he ran past him into the cellar. After that, locking him in had been pure child's play.

Lucy had arrived gasping for air at the scene, and had fallen to the floor with a smile of relief when Natsu had given her a thumbs up, informing her that it had been a success. The ice mage had appeared right after she did, but had only stayed for a minute because the voices emerging from outside meant that people had arrived and that was his cue to get out of there and send them away.

Sighing, she moved to press her ear against the door once again, and was met with a few muted murmurs from the other side. Had the note she had sent them actually worked? When silence ensued a few seconds later, she assumed that it probably hadn't. But she wouldn't give up until it did. She didn't want them fighting. She didn't like seeing Levy sad. Sure, they had been together for an incredibly short time, but the red string that tied the two together was perfectly visible to her, and she wouldn't let anything cut through it.

"Just leave them for a while," Natsu suggested, standing up and stretching. "I'm starving! So let's go eat!"

"We can't just leave them in there," she weakly protested, secretly tempted by the idea of going out for a short time. Her legs were already beginning to go numb.

"Gray will be right outside the guild the entire time," he argued, grabbing her hands and pulling her up. She didn't struggle against his grip; rather, she ended up using him as support while her legs regained feeling.

"Well, I guess it would be alright..." she allowed him to lead her to the front of the guild, where their comrade had just finished successfully warding off another pair of fairies. "Gray, we're going out for a little, so keep an eye out, okay?"

"Are you kidding?" he asked, folding his arms over his bare chest. "I have to stay here while you guys get to go have fun?"

"Pretty much!" Natsu lifted up his discarded shirt and tossed it over to him. "Put that on! Bye!"

Before he could say another word they were gone, leaving him to glare at their backs as they sauntered off and left him to deal with any problems that may arise. "Well that's no fair," he muttered to himself, throwing his shirt back onto the ground and using it as a cushion. "Couldn't they have given me something more interesting to do at least?" Resting his head against the door behind him, he closed his eyes and basked in the warm glow of the sun. Maybe he would take a short nap, just for a few minutes. After all, most of the Fairy Tail mages had come and gone, and they'd probably inform the rest of the supposed 'infestation'. So it wouldn't hurt to take a quick rest, would it?

* * *

><p>"You realise you're the one who said we should talk, but so far you haven't said a word."<p>

Levy merely nodded at this insight, lost in her thoughts. It was true; barely ten minutes ago she had thought it would be a good idea to go along with Lucy's intentions. But once she had accepted this notion, she had realised that she had absolutely no idea what to say. Her head was telling her that he had been totally out of line and that he should be castrated before anything else, but there was a small voice in the back of her head telling her otherwise.

"Oi, speak up, I'm not a mind reader," Gajeel ordered, irritation evident in his voice. "I already made myself clear yesterday, didn't I?"

"That's true, you did, it's just that..."

"It's just what? Damn it, why are you so freaking sensitive?"

"Excuse me?"

"I got mad. I insulted your friends. Okay, I badmouthed the fuck out of them. But it's not like I was saying those things about you, and I certainly had good reason to react the way I did!"

The small mage looked away, unable to come up with any sort of reply to his statement. Could there be sense in what he was saying? But he had been so callous, so rude, and completely ignorant of her feelings. But then again, that was Gajeel. He was callous, rude, and could be quite ignorant at times. But when he had yelled at her before, he hadn't meant to hurt her. He had only wanted to make his feelings known and understood. Sure, she wanted to defend her friends, but when she looked at the entire thing from his point of view, it seemed like she was trying to force him to think the way she wanted to. And what gave her any right to do that?

After this realisation hit her, she immediately felt guilty for thinking so badly of him, and disgusted with her own behaviour.

"...You're right..."

"...What?" The dragon slayer turned towards her, confusion tinting his glowing red irises.

"I said you're right," Levy repeated, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "I guess I kind of overreacted...I just really wasn't in the greatest place when you started going crazy, something in me kind of snapped. But…I think I understand your side, now."

She plopped down onto a nearby crate, avoiding looking at the shadow that was now looming over her. She heard a sigh and felt a hand ruffle her blue locks, before he dropped onto the floor beside her, sitting cross-legged. He seemed to be deep in thought, his hand brushing the ground at an extremely fast pace. She watched as small particles of dust fell all over his fingers and lightly coated them, but he didn't seem to notice them. Finally, just as she was about to ask him if he was alright, he spoke up.

"Well…" he cleared his throat repeatedly, as if there was a large blockage that he just couldn't seem to get rid of. She raised an eyebrow as she watched, but patiently waited for him to finish. "Well…I'm sorry, anyway."

Their eyes met, and Levy felt her breath catch, the sincerity of his apology momentarily ceasing her ability to breath. If this had been any other time, in any other place, she would have automatically come to the conclusion that he was being sarcastic, or just lying. Trying to mess with her. But one look at his face told her he was completely serious. And it made the fluttering in her chest that much stronger.

"Y-you didn't have to apologize," she murmured, moving her gaze away, unable to meet his any longer.

"Well, whatever, it doesn't matter anymore," he said. "As long as you're okay." Taking a deep breath, he blew the dust off his fingers, and both of them watched the small motes fly all over the room before settling down. "You are okay, aren't you?"

"Of course! I should be asking you that."

"What, you think that something as silly as this situation could penetrate this iron hard skin of mine?"

"Hmm…I don't know. Get me a drill and let's find out."

She smiled mischievously at him, and he felt the corners of his mouth slightly curve upwards in reply. This was it. This felt right. There was nowhere else he would rather be except sitting there with her. Well, maybe not in this dusty, cramped room. _OH SHIT! We're still locked in this fucking cellar! _Leaping up onto his feet and startling the girl sitting above him, he ran back up the stairs and yelled right at the door, "Hey, did you hear that, you guys? We've made up! So open the door now!'

They waited in silence for a few milliseconds, which turned into seconds, which turned into minutes. But nothing could be heard, no sound of a lock opening, footsteps, voices, nothing.

"OPEN UP!"

* * *

><p>"<em>YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"<em>

_Gray folded his wings and dove down towards the turquoise water below, spreading them open and halting his descent only when his face was directly opposite the foam-capped waves. He soared across the surface of the seawater, spreading out his arms and allowing the water to envelop them, sending it splashing in all directions. It was so peaceful here, in this place, nothing and no-one could ruin this tranquillity – _

"_Heeeey, Droopy-eyes!" A sing-song voice called out. __**Oh no, no, no, no, no, anyone but him, please God no, please, this is my dream, he can't be here, he can't!**_

_Natsu's face popped up right in front of Gray's and they collided into each other, sending the ice mage crashing down into the water. "Nice wings," the dragon slayer grinned, producing a giant pair of scissors from behind his back. Happy and Lucy walked out from behind him, holding their own blades. "Let's clip them!"_

"_Noooooo!" Gray shot off running, but the water was slowing him down, and he could hear their wicked giggles of delight as they chased him, getting closer and closer with each step. Suddenly, he was face down in the water, and Lucy had an iron grip on him while Natsu and Happy converged on him with their sharpened blades, menacing smiles spread wide across their faces. "Get away from me! Get awaaaaay!"_

"GRAY!"

The ice mage eyes shot wide open and he immediately rose to his feet, taking a defensive stance. "Don't you dare step any closer! No way in hell you're clipping my wings!" Jet and Droy stared at him quizzically in an attempt to figure out what was going on inside his head, making no attempt to supress the smirks crossing their faces. The ice mage suppressed the urge to slap himself when he realised what he had just done, and quickly inquired what they were doing there.

"We wanted to help with that cockroach thing," Droy explained. "Then we found you asleep. Or at least, I'm not sure we can call it that. You were screaming for Natsu not to bring those scissors closer to your precious angel wings."

"…I called them that?"

"That's the summarized version."

"Oh. Well get out of here, there's no point in you guys helping, Natsu and Lucy are down there."

"What are you talking about? We just saw them in town."

"You did?" _Oh shit._

"Yeah."

"You must've been asleep when they left," Jet added, stepping past him and into the guild. "So just go back to dreaming about your...wings, and let us make sure the job is done."

"I HAVE A DREAM OF FLYING, OKAY?" Gray yelled defensively as the Shadow Gear duo moved into the guild. He suddenly realised his mistake of letting them in, because even from there he could hear the pounding coming from the basement's door. "You guys, wait! Stop!"

"Do you hear that? I think someone's stuck in there!"

"Let's get it open!"

"No, you guys, stop!" _Shit, shit, shit! GOD DAMMIT NATSU, I TOLD YOU GUY_S _NOT TO LEAVE! _"Go sit down; let me take care of it!"

His protests came too late, as Jet was already at the door. From the other side they could hear yells of "This isn't funny anymore, open up! We made up, she forgave me, it's fine, SO GET YOUR ASSES UP AND UNLOCK THE FUCKING DOOR!" The fast-footed mage, who had just been about to turn the handle, stopped in his tracks.

"Was that Gajeel? What's he talking about?" He asked Gray, who could only stand there, completely speechless. He had no idea what to say, so he merely shrugged. Nothing could help the situation. They were screwed.

"You guys?" a timid voice called out from the basement. "Gajeel apologized, it's fine, so can you please let us out now?"

"Is that Levy-chan?" Droy exclaimed, rushing over to his partner's side. "Is she _locked _in there with Gajeel?"

The ice mage opened his mouth to reply, but the orange-haired mage was one step ahead of him, and he flung the door open. The site of Gajeel and Levy standing so close to each other on the staircase startled him, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her out, shoving her behind him as if attempting to protect her.

"What the hell is going on?"


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Yay for updates, huh? Enjoy. :)

Levy had no idea what to say.

This hadn't been expected. It was too soon for another problem to crop up now, of all times. She had just made up with Gajeel, the world was supposed to be all flowers and daisies again. So why had another earthquake decided to appear out of nowhere and leave her helpless as she tried to regain her balance? The tension in the hallway grew along with the silence, and Jet's grip on her arm seemed to get tighter with every passing minute. What was he thinking?

"Jet, calm down," she pleaded, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"What's going on?" he repeated, ignoring his teammate. She turned her head to Gray in the hopes that he had a solution in mind, but when he caught her eye he shrugged hopelessly. That left the situation up to Gajeel.

"We were dealing with the cockroach infestation," the Dragon Slayer said smoothly. Levy felt the urge to sigh in relief; how could she have forgotten about Lucy and Natsu's note? "Not that it's any of _your_ business."

The three thought that would be the end of it, but one glance at Jet and Droy's faces told them that they weren't buying it. "We heard you guys yelling through the door," Droy countered. "You were talking about Levy-chan forgiving you. We're not deaf."

Levy could see that Gajeel's patience was wearing thin; his anger at the two still hadn't faded from before, and this situation was just going to give him an excuse to act upon it. Unless she could stop him. Wriggling free from the orange-haired mage's grasp, she somehow managed to squeeze between the two. She could practically see the testosterone coursing through their veins; it didn't take a genius to see that these two would gladly attack each other right then and there. She stood on her tiptoes and blocked Jet's view, trying to get him to focus on her.

"Look, I was mad at him because he tossed a cockroach in my hair," she lied. "He tried to get me to calm down, but I wouldn't, so Gray locked us in there to get him to apologize." Gray spoke up in agreement, deciding it would be best to just go along with it. She searched her comrade's eyes, hoping for any change, but the suspicion was still there.

"Don't lie to me, Levy-chan," he replied, refusing to move an inch. "I've known you for a long time. I can tell when you're not being honest."

She lowered herself back down, and dimly became aware of a throbbing in her side. With all the commotion, she had completely forgotten about her injury. And now it was growing in strength, becoming sharper and much more painful, making it harder for her to stay on her feet. But she couldn't leave just yet, not until she was sure that nothing would happen. The air was still thick with strain, and it seemed to surround her, slowly yet surely cutting off her supply of oxygen. _I need to sit down, _she thought worriedly, moving her gaze towards Gajeel. He seemed calmer, at least, and was now leaning on the doorframe, unwilling to be the first to leave. But her unnaturally fast comrade had the exact same mindset. Neither one of them was going to back down.

"Jet, I'm telling you the truth," she tried again.

"No, you aren't."

"Why would I lie?"

"I don't know! Want to tell me?"

There it was again, that agony-inducing ache in her side. Her breathing quickened and she could feel the ground rocking back and forth underneath her. Or was that the effect of her weak, wobbly knees? "Guys, can we cut this short?" she murmured. She felt like she was on a carousel, spinning round and round and round and for some reason it wouldn't stop. The floor was gone, but she was still twirling. The carousel just kept on going, round and round, mocking her, teasing her, forcing her to acknowledge her own powerlessness. Levy hadn't even realized she had fainted until her vision returned to normal, and she was met with the sight of Gajeel's dark blue shirt. He had caught her just before she hit the floor and was holding her against him, supporting her as she tried to steady her wobbly legs.

"Let go of her!" Jet ordered, attempting to pull her away from Gajeel.

"And just let her hit the floor?" The Dragon Slayer snapped, tightening his grip on the girl. "Get lost, you fucking moron."

"She's my teammate!"

"Do I look like I give a shit?"

Levy rested her head against Gajeel's chest, breathing deeply as the throbbing finally dulled. She tried to block out the men's voices, which had grown increasingly louder. Once again she couldn't help wishing she was back in the cellar, long before any of this had happened, when it was just her, her book, and the spiders scuttling across the walls in search of the perfect corner. But that was just a dream, and this was reality. On the other side of the hallway Gray and Droy were standing in the background, hesitant to interrupt the dispute.

"Levy-chan, come over here, away from _him_."

"She's sick, leave her alone, asshole."

"And with you she's going to get much worse."

"I'm taking much better care of her right now than you morons did when you went on that mission."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means. Now just shut up and move the hell out of my way."

The small blue-haired mage had the impression that Gajeel was trying to move her somewhere, but each attempt was met with failure. She could feel the muscles in his arms tensing, and knew he wouldn't tolerate this for much longer.

"Give her to me."

"Don't touch her."

Levy felt Jet grab her arm, and a strong blast of air blew her hair around her face as Gajeel's fist made contact with the speed mage's stomach. There was a sharp intake of breath followed by a thud as her partner dropped to the ground. For a second she was panicking; she was far too weak to even consider attempting to stop them, but that didn't mean she enjoyed just standing there and doing nothing. However, luck was on her side, and beneath her forehead she could feel the vibrations of the ex-Phantom's chest as he spoke.

"I warned you, don't fucking touch her," he growled. No-one said a word as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the clinic, kicking the door shut behind him with the heel of his boot. She knew what this meant, what his actions had just said. After all, actions spoke louder than words, and Gajeel's actions had yelled volumes. He gently laid her on her bed and opened the window, allowing a much appreciated breeze to come in and ruffle her clothes and hair. He crouched down next to her so that he was at eye-level, and for a moment neither of them said a word.

After a few minutes, she finally spoke. "We just kind of screwed everything up, didn't we?"

"Yep," he replied. "I'm not sorry."

She took a deep breath, allowing the oxygen to refresh and revitalize her. "I know." She wasn't going to hold it against him, since she couldn't give him all the blame. Well, they could just pin it on Natsu and Lucy, but that wouldn't be fair to them either. Even if it was their bright idea that had led to this confrontation.

And how would Jet and Droy react now? What were they doing on the other side of that door, what did they think of Gajeel's behavior, and her own nonchalance during the entire scene? It was obvious now that they had been shamelessly lying, and it wouldn't take the boys long before they put two and two together. But…could this actually be a blessing in disguise?

"Are you mad?" Gajeel's inquiry halted Levy's train of thoughts, and she could feel his eyes on her.

"No," she sighed, sitting up straight. She felt a lot better, and now her head was a lot clearer, allowing her to process the situation. "You know, this might be for the best."

"What?"

"I mean, think about it, they were bound to find out about us eventually. Maybe it's better sooner than later."

"You change your mind pretty quickly, don't you?"

"Let's blame the medication. At least now they know."

"You've forgotten one small detail: we didn't tell them. They're probably still trying to get what happened through those thick skulls."

"They'll figure it out. They're smarter than you give them credit for."

He rolled his eyes at this comment, and then an evil smirk appeared on his face, and his eyes glowed with delight. "This means I can screw with them right? Hell yes!"

"No, no!" she exclaimed, stifling giggles brought on by the Dragon Slayer's excitement, trying not to wince as the movement restarted the aching again. "Please, don't make me laugh, my side can't take it."

The laughter in his eyes died, and his face took on a serious expression. "Are you okay?" he asked. "What happened back there, anyways?"

"Nothing some rest won't be able to fix. I think the stress of that whole scene took its toll on me."

"…Go to sleep then. I'll be back later."

"Where are you going?"

"Didn't I tell you before? I'm going to go screw with your friends."

* * *

><p>"I don't believe it."<p>

The male fraction of team Shadow Gear was still gaping at the clinic door, trying to understand what had just taken place.

"Jet, do they seem unnaturally comfortable together, or is it just me?" Droy asked, helping his teammate off the floor. Jet said nothing, and instead moved towards Gray, who was trying to come up with an escape plan. Nothing came to mind, and the orange-haired mage descended upon him.

"Why was Gajeel acting so protective of Levy?" he demanded, bringing his face within inches of the ice mage's. "And why did she let him just cart her off? What is going on?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Gray sighed. "Or are you hoping the answer you've got in your head is wrong? 'Cause I can't make any promises."

Jet moved back and considered his answer for a moment, and realized that Gray was right. He just couldn't bring himself to acknowledge what had just happened. It was a place he didn't want to go, one he didn't want to even exist.

For as long as he could remember, Jet had been in love with Levy. He had fallen head over heels for her the day their eyes first met. She was perfect; sweet, kind, smart, beautiful, determined, the list went on and on for miles. There was no-one else in the entire guild that could make him feel the way that she did, and they all knew it. At one point in time he had even confessed his love for her, although that had turned out unpleasantly, with him being rejected in two seconds flat. But even though she didn't reciprocate his feelings, he was okay with that, because he still harbored hope that one day she would come around. And now he could feel that hope draining out of him, as if someone had reached into his head and pulled out the stopper keeping it in. All thanks to Gajeel.

He still didn't understand it. How the Iron Dragon Slayer had suddenly waltzed in and stolen Levy from right under his nose. He couldn't say he hadn't seen it coming – both he and Droy had witnessed the odd transformation in their relationship; she had gone from completely fearing him to…to what? Having a crush on him? Dating him? He didn't want to think about it, but the pictures were forming so clearly in his head. Pictures he couldn't bear to see. How had this happened? Why had this happened? What could the girl possibly see in the large brute? What did he have that Jet didn't have? Had she forgotten what he had done to them? Done to their guild? Done to her best friend, Lucy? Where had all of that gone? He had so many questions, and needed so many answers.

"You've been quiet for a while," Gray observed from behind the bar. While Jet had been mulling over entire situation he had gone over and poured himself a mug of sake, and was now greedily chugging it down. After all, what better time was there for drinking then uncomfortable moments like those?

"It's just not right," the orange-haired mage grumbled, moving to the bar so he could snatch the mug away and take a gulp of its contents. "It's like she doesn't want to remember anything he's done to her – to _us_! What can she possibly see in him?" He knew the question would haunt him later, but he couldn't help wondering. He didn't want to lose Levy to him. He _couldn't _lose Levy to him. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair.

"Well you're not exactly Casanova yourself."

Droy stood to the side but didn't say anything, keeping his musings to himself. He had seen this coming. When the two thugs had revealed that Gajeel was the one who had saved them that day in the alley, Levy's new attitude towards the ex-Phantom made so much sense. He had always suspected something had changed the balance, tilted the scale, and now he understood what. Of course, he couldn't reveal his findings to his ally, because the timing was all wrong. It seemed like Jet still hadn't made the connection yet, and he knew it would be best not to say anything. He watched Jet for a moment, sake trickling down his chin as he tried to drown his sorrows in alcohol. He could see it in his friend's eyes – the unhappiness that had taken over. The poor mage had never truly gotten over his crush on their friend.

So what next? What would he do? Droy had a feeling he would have to keep a close eye on the fast-footed mage. This scar would take some time to heal, and his partner had never been one for patience.

Jet and Gray's conversation was interrupted by a door swinging open, and loud footsteps that seemed to echo throughout the entire guild. Gajeel strode down the middle of the room, wearing a small smile on his face. Well, not so much a smile as it was an arrogant smirk, fueled by the look on Jet's face. He smugly took a seat next to the mage, and for a moment allowed himself to enjoy the awkward silence that his presence had caused. He was in the best mood he had experienced all day, and he was going to make full use of it.

"I'm going to go check on Levy-chan," the orange-haired mage muttered, sliding the mug of sake back to Gray.

"Leave her alone," Gajeel ordered, stopping the mage in his tracks. The hairs on the back of his neck bristled; did the Dragon Slayer actually think he was going to follow his orders? He continued walking, and his opponent spoke up again. "Well, suit yourself. As her _boyfriend_ I can go visit her whenever I want, anyway. And she'll be much happier to see me than you."

_Oh no, _Droy mentally groaned, watching his partner freeze and slowly turn around. He could practically see the wheels turning in Jet's brain as he processed this information. He had thought they would be safe from another confrontation, but it seemed like that wasn't going to happen.

"Boyfriend? That's funny; I always thought Levy would go for someone her own species."

"Why do you think she didn't go for you?"

"You guys, you guys, don't start this now," Gray pleaded, picking up a small white napkin and waving it in the air. "Why don't we all just chill out and have some drinks?" Neither of the two men listened to him, they were too busy trying to burn each other to death with their glares.

"You know, runt, it's okay to be jealous," Gajeel teased, pointedly looking back at the clinic. "That she wants me and not you."

"She's just caught up in the moment," Jet countered. "You could never make her happy."

"When I left she was smiling. What do you call that?"

"The ecstasy one feels when you leave the room."

As they threw insults at each other, getting closer and angrier with each aggressive word they spat, Gray and Droy slowly backed away, sensing that there was nothing they could do but stay quiet and hope they wouldn't get caught in the crossfire.

* * *

><p>Lucy and Natsu ran towards the guild at the fastest pace they could manage, both of them panting heavily as they tried to reach their destination in the shortest amount of time possible.<p>

They had left a few hours ago with the innocent intentions of going out and getting something to eat, and maybe taking a quick walk around so they could stretch their legs out and enjoy the sunshine. However, they were distracted by a travelling circus that had decided to take a tour through Magnolia. The streets were littered with confetti and steamers, and men with stilts nearly touched the sky, fire breathers and sword eaters entertained the crowds, and incredible double-jointed acrobats amazed the people with their tricks and acts. Natsu had been particularly excited by a parade of feline creatures that obediently followed their tamer, a tall man with a curly moustache and a large black top hat. Where he pointed, they would walk, when he ordered them, they would perform, and the people would cheer and go wild with excitement. Behind them there were clowns, magicians, and all sorts of other acts showing off their talents. A man making balloon animals tied them to posts and trees, leaving an entire trail of them behind him. The air buzzed with an infectious thrill, and the couple couldn't help but go follow their visitors. After all, when would they ever see something like this again?

And now, three hours later, with colourful pieces of paper still stuck in their hair and a rosy glow on their cheeks, they sprinted onwards, fully aware that Gray wouldn't have let their friends out of the cellar without their okay. And that meant that they were in deep trouble.

"We're…almost…there!" Natsu gasped, smiling at the sight of the large castle-like structure. The blonde beside him could only nod, attempting to conserve her breath. "But wait….where's Gray?"

Skidding to a halt right in front of the gate, they peered through the bars, but there was no sign of their bare-chested teammate. "Maybe….he went….inside," Lucy panting, grabbing one of the bars for support and resting her head on the cool metal. It soothed her overheated body, but the pleasure was short-lived as Natsu practically dragged her away from the bars and into the guild. Upon entering, they were taken aback by the sight that awaited them.

The guild was a complete disaster zone. Tables and benches were strewn wildly all around, the stage's curtains had been ripped and were now draped across the floor, and many of the windows were broken. In the midst of the disaster zone stood Gajeel and Jet, both of them watching the other with a close eye. While the Iron Dragon Slayer looked fine, the orange-haired mage looked extremely disheveled and was slightly hunched over, gasping for breath.

"Is that all you've got?" Gajeel teased, flashing his opponent a wide grin. "No wonder Levy doesn't want you. You're absolutely useless."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Jet roared, swinging a foot at the Dragon Slayer's skull. Gajeel ducked out of the way and quickly moved to a new position, ready to begin mocking his rival at any movement. Natsu and Lucy were stunned by the entire sight; what was going on?

"Pssst, over here!"

Lucy looked in the direction of the voice and spotted Gray and Droy in the corner of the room, sitting on one of the upturned tables. She and Natsu quickly tiptoed over to them, careful to avoid being noticed by the two in the middle of the room. "You guys, what the hell's going on?" she hissed, kneeling down next to them. Gray started by telling them what happened right after she left, and then Droy filled in some of the other details.

"They've been at it for ages now," Gray commented, glancing at the two. "I think Gajeel is enjoying himself. Each time Jet gets angrier, that smirk gets bigger."

"This must be his way of getting revenge," Lucy suggested, recalling the reason why he and Levy had gotten into an argument. "Couldn't he have watched out for the furniture, though?"

"Forget about that! This all happened thanks to you two idiots! What's your problem anyways, huh?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it was an accident!"

"Yeah, because that's going to reverse everything that just happened."

"I'm really, really sorry! But there's no time for this now. Let's go break up this fight."

"What? You really want to brave that?"

"I'd rather that then Makarov kicking our asses when he sees what a pigsty this place has been turned in to."

"…Good point. Let's go."

The four cautiously proceeded to the battlefield, and before Jet could launch another attack Natsu and Gray managed to pin him down on the ground. He struggled under their grip, spat profanities at them and tried attacking them in every possible way, but they wouldn't let go. As they forced him onto one of the chairs which hadn't been devastated, Lucy approached Gajeel, noticing the pleased expression on his face.

"…You're a horrible person."

"Tell me something I don't know."

She sighed and looked around for a moment, realizing Levy was missing. "Where's Levy-chan?"

"Sleeping. She needs the rest."

"Oh, good. So, have you had your fun with Jet and Droy? You're done now, right? I mean, you must be."

His expression hardened, and she saw a shimmer of something she couldn't identify in his eyes. "Are you kidding? I haven't even begun."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **And here comes another update! Thanks for your reviews, alerts, favorites, I'm so happy to see that people are still following this story. :D Since I have a week long field trip coming up on Saturday, it'll take a while for the next chapter to be written, but until then please, enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Lucy, you've disappeared again."<p>

"Huh?"

The blonde looked up at the speaker, and was met with the sight of his dark eyes searching her own, wondering if she was still lost in her thoughts or if she had finally returned to the realm of the living.

The two were seated at the foot of Lucy's bed, side by side without an inch of space between them. Natsu had been chatting animatedly to her for a while until he had realized that at some point she had stopped focusing on the conversation. "What's up?" he asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"Nothing, of course!" she quickly reassured him. "I was just thinking about Levy-chan, that's all." Her mind went back to her small blue-haired friend, who was officially on forced bed-rest. After her near-collapse two days ago, Lucy had made sure that she stayed in the clinic and rested, and had barred Gajeel and Jet from going near the place. They had protested, but she was afraid their presences would do nothing but worry the poor girl, so she hadn't given in. She had also managed to convince Jet and Droy not to mention Levy and the Dragon Slayer's relationship so that she wouldn't be badgered by any of the other fairies, who would probably kill to find out exactly how this had all begun. Not that that had been hard; they were still processing the information themselves.

Realizing that it was Levy's last day in the clinic as Wendy was just about finished patching her up, it suddenly hit Lucy that she should take her friend out for a girl's night out. It could be a celebration of sorts, but it would also be a way to avoid the boy troubles that would inevitably escalate out of hand. Already ideas of where she could take her and who would be invited started popping into her head, and she was so distracted by these musings that she didn't feel the tension emanating from beside her.

Natsu watched his comrade as she withdrew back into her thoughts, and suppressed the urge to sigh. He had come to her apartment with the hopes of talking, fooling around, anything that would mean she would focus on him. But it seemed like lately he was less important than the rest of the events dominating her time.

Frankly, he didn't like her fixation on her friend. Couldn't she drag herself away from these distractions and for just one moment give him the time of day he wanted? They had only been together a short time but already he could feel himself losing her as she gave more attention to Levy's relationship then her own. _How long can I be patient for?_ he asked himself, gazing down at the blond head of hair resting on his shoulder. Even deep in thought she was stunning, completely lost in her own world. If only he could be a part of that world, just for an instant, long enough to show her that he was there, right next to her, pleading to be let in. _I'm an impatient guy, Lucy. I can't wait forever._

_Talk to her, _a small voice whispered from the back of his head, for some odd reason sounding just like his droopy-eyed teammate. _She'll never know what you're feeling if you don't spit it out._

_I want to shout it as loud as I can to her. Tell her that just once right now I'd like her to look at me and actually see me. But she's a girl, and girls take everything the wrong way. They're just weird like that. So I'll just give it a bit of time._

_And if it doesn't change?_

Natsu didn't answer. He didn't want to think of what he would do if it didn't change. It hurt too much to even consider it. Instead, he started running his fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm his agitated mind. It would all work out. It had to work out. Because Natsu couldn't imagine his world without her.

* * *

><p>Levy could feel a rush of cool delight coursing through her veins as Wendy worked her magic on her stomach. She could practically feel her injury sewing itself shut, leaving nothing more than a faint scar that would fade in time. The whole process left her buzzing with energy, and suddenly she couldn't wait to escape the confines of that godforsaken clinic. But when she mentioned this to Mirajane, the S-class mage had immediately shot her down, telling her it would still be a few hours before they could let her out.<p>

"Why?" Levy asked exasperatedly, resisting as the two fairies tried to push her back into bed. "I'm fine now, isn't that obvious?"

"Sure, but think about it, do you really want to be mauled be everyone right now, while you're still recovering?" Mirajane asked, causing Levy to stop her struggling and consider this for a moment.

She wouldn't mind being mauled. But the thought of facing Jet and Droy was a completely different story. How could she possibly face them? Especially now that they knew about her and Gajeel. They would ask her questions, ones she wouldn't be able to answer. _How long has this been going on, Levy? Why didn't you tell us? Aren't we your friends? Don't you trust us?_

Gajeel wouldn't be any better. He was having the time of his life torturing Jet, who had been particularly devastated by the news. According to Lucy he would drop subtle hints and comments whenever he came into contact with the mage, a feat that must have been driving her comrade insane. _Oh well, boys will be boys, _she sighed inwardly. Whatever was going to happen between the two, she didn't want to get in the middle of it. It wasn't like she would be able to prevent anything from happening, anyway. All she had managed to do the last time she tried was earn Jet a fist to the stomach, and she didn't plan on letting that happen again.

"We're leaving now," Wendy said, interrupting Levy's train of thought. "I think Lucy is going to come later when you can leave."

Without waiting for a reply the two girls made a swift exit, leaving Levy alone to contemplate how she was going to spend the next few hours. At least, she would have done that, if an incessant tapping at the window hadn't demanded her attention. Removing herself from the sheets she didn't remember being forced into, she moved to the window and nearly jumped out of her skin when she was met with the sight of Gajeel's face pressed against the glass, framed with the orange glow of the setting sun behind him.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, unlatching the lock. The ex-Phantom pushed the pane up and crawled through the window with difficulty, his body much too large for the small space. Levy had no idea how to react as he landed on the floor and quickly shut the window behind him. Hadn't Lucy said that she had forbidden him from coming near this room?

"I got impatient," he shrugged, crossing the floor so there was only a small gap left between them. "How's the injury?"

"Just a scar," she replied, unconsciously tugging at the hem of her shirt. "Gajeel, Lu-chan will be mad if she finds out you're here, maybe you should just – "

She had barely finished her sentence when his lips came crashing down onto hers, and she dazedly felt her arms going around his neck and her hands entwining themselves in his long black hair, pulling him in closer. She had the impression she was moving backwards, leaning against the edge of the bed as the heat between them only seemed to intensify with every kiss. She couldn't think, she couldn't speak, she could only feel his rough lips against her own, his hands around her waist, and the locks of his hair she gripped tightly between her fingers. There was electricity all around her, especially where his hands ran across her back and drew her into him strongly, as though she would fade away if he relaxed his grip even a little.

A sudden knock on the door made the couple jump apart, their lungs burning as they took in some much needed breaths to replenish their air supply. How long had it been? A few seconds? A couple of minutes? Even apart the two found themselves to be completely caught up in the moment, time having disappeared completely. They stood edgily in silence, but nothing followed the knock. Once they were sure nobody was going to enter they allowed themselves to relax.

"I've been waiting to do that for a while," Gajeel informed the blue-haired mage, grinning as his statement caused her to start blushing a deep shade of red. It was crazy, how different he felt when she was around. Strange, yet oddly comfortable. He crossed the space between them and started playing with one of her curls, twisting it around between his fingers. Leaning in closer, he whispered, "Want to go again?"

She had no idea how to respond as his lips teasingly inched closer to hers, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when the sound of the door handle turning sent him flying underneath the bed. Thinking quickly, she sat on the edge of the mattress and used her legs as a shield to hide him from sight.

The door was flung wide open and Lucy entered the room along with Erza, Mirajane and Cana, their arms hidden from sight by giant, colourful shopping bags. The girls tossed the bags onto the floor and started attacking the bookworm, asking her all sorts of questions concerning her health, completely oblivious to the man hiding behind her feet. This went on for about ten minutes before the Stellar Spirit mage called for order, so she could tell Levy her news.

"My dearest Levy-chan, we are taking you out for a good old-fashioned girl's night out!" she announced, watching her friend's expression change from one of calm into one of complete terror.

"What exactly does that mean?" she asked nervously, afraid of the answer.

"It means we're going to party until the ceiling spins!" Cana replied with excitement. "Dance, drink, flirt, you know the drill. Now come with us, there's not much time left before the bars open."

Levy attempted to protest to the whole fiasco – she wasn't exactly an expert when it came to clubs and bars and all the other things the girls must have been thinking about, and she felt like it would be way too much chaos to handle. However, her friends wouldn't take no for an answer, and they forcefully dragged her out of the room.

Gajeel emerged from under the bed, annoyed that his time with Levy had been cut short because of her friends. He had assumed we would have the pleasure of her company all night long. As he considered the matter, he realized that he still had a chance. After all, no-one said he couldn't tag along.

* * *

><p>"This is the one for you, Levy-chan. It's gorgeous!"<p>

Levy smiled at her friends as they prattled on, not really listening to them. For the last hour she had been forced to try on an endless sea of dresses, switching from one to the next so quickly that it had all become a complete blur to her. Fortunately, they had finally decided on one they liked best, a simple strapless black dress with a tight bodice and a ruffled skirt, with small golden patterns lining the hem. The bookworm couldn't understand what the big deal was, it was only a dress after all, but she nodded her head all the same and cooed at the appropriate moments. None of them would have guessed that her mind was actually on something – well, on _someone _else.

As the sun went down and the preparations progressed, Levy felt herself beginning to look forward to the evening. Maybe tonight she could forget about everything and let go of all her worries. Even if it was just for a couple of hours, the freedom was too enticing to resist. Everything else could wait until tomorrow. There would be no harm in that, right?

By the time they had finished, Magnolia had completely transformed. The sky was illuminated by the stars and the quarter moon that hung in the sky, and as they passed all the popular nightclubs and bars they could feel the pavement vibrating beneath the soles of their shoes. Woman ran around in the cold air with nothing more than short skirts and skimpy shirts on, and men – whether they were boyfriends, friends, or just creepy strangers – followed them around like lost puppies. You could feel it in the air, the infectious buzz of that ever-present late night excitement. Already the fairies could feel it taking effect, as they grew more and more cheerful with each passing minute.

"You guys, where are we going?" Levy wondered as they passed another club where a tall and muscular man stood outside the front door, shooing vagrants and drunks away. They had been wandering around for a while, and her feet were beginning to become sore. The group stopped for a moment and considered her question. Any place would be good. Most of the clubs in Magnolia were very highly rated, and since they were members of Fairy Tail they could be granted access to any one they pleased. It was only a question of which place to choose.

They noticed two men had been watching them for quite some time, and Lucy was about to yell at them to quit staring when they confidently sauntered over, wide toothy smiles plastered onto their faces.

"Ladies, ladies, why are you standing around in the cold?" one of them asked. He had piercing blue eyes and a shock of red hair, and Cana immediately took to him.

"We're looking for a place with good drinks and a good dance floor," she responded, flashing him a winning smile. "Know any places?"

His friend stepped forward now, encouraged by her flirtatious behavior. "Actually, we work for that place right down the road," he pointed a set of double doors lit by a multitude of coloured lights. Even though the doors were closed and they were quiet a distance away, they could hear the music playing, an upbeat song that seemed to be worming its way into their heads, beckoning them to come on over. "We were just looking for some beautiful girls to bring in and liven up the place. Can we count on your help?"

"Of course!" Cana agreed, linking her arm with the redhead's. Mirajane copied her actions and took charge of the second man, and the six walked together to the club. The bouncer scrutinized them for half a second before letting them in, and as soon as they crossed the boundary their ears were met with a shock of music and laughter. The room was packed with all sorts of people, some dancing, some drinking, and others slinking off into corners with people they may have only just met. The girls managed to squeeze in between all the bodies and find the bar, where an entire tray of colourful shots awaited them.

"These are on the house," the redhead said, handing each girl a drink. Cana let out a loud whoop and raised her glass into the air, and the other fairies followed suit, downing their first drinks with some difficulty. Even as they coughed or stuck out their tongues in distaste the glasses were already being refilled by their new friends. Although at first Levy had her doubts, she decided to just let go and live in the moment. After all, this night had been organized specially for her. Why not enjoy it?

* * *

><p><em>We'll be gone for just a couple of hours. I'll see you later, okay?<em>

Lucy's words bounced around the inside of Natsu's skull, torturing him in only the way that she could. He had hoped that before she left he would get a chance to talk to her, but she had been in such a rush, what with her shopping and all of the other pointless things she had planned for her fancy girl's night out. Tch. What a stupid idea. She could have had just as much fun in her apartment with Natsu, or anywhere in fact, as long as she was with him.

He couldn't believe how much he regretted not saying anything before. He knew she would come home sooner or later; he would be waiting for her until she did. But he felt like he had missed the perfect opportunity to come clean about these feelings bottled up inside. _Lucy, I feel ignored. _That's all he would have had to say. Was that so hard?

"Yes," he muttered to himself. He moved his gaze to Happy, who was sound asleep in the middle of Lucy's bed, crushing his hopes of a conversation. It was just so boring in that apartment without her – she always had the funniest reaction when she came home and found Natsu doing something she felt he shouldn't, like sleeping in her bed or taking a bath or sometimes even inviting Gray over to walk around the place in nothing but his boxers. Tonight, however, he felt completely alone, and wished he could just go and find her and bring her home. It would be easy enough to track her down; her scent was unmistakable. Convincing her to leave, however, would be a completely different story.

He was so absorbed with his mental motion picture of the scenario that he failed to notice a certain mage stride into the room, his loud, pounding footsteps echoing all around.

"Oi, Salamander!" Gajeel greeted him, waving his hand in front of Natsu's face. The pink-haired mage barely reacted to the movement, taking his time to lift his chin so that he could see the Dragon Slayer's face. "Who died?"

"Hmm?" He hadn't quiet heard the question, and Gajeel muttered something under his breath before repeating his inquiry. "Oh. No-one."

"…If I cared, I would ask for more. But I don't, so get off your ass and come with me."

"Come where?"

"Don't you want to see your girlfriend?"

That managed to capture Natsu's interest. "What do you mean?"

"The bunny stole my bookworm from me, and I want to steal her back."

"You mean Levy?"

"No shit."

The fire Dragon Slayer deliberated over this prospect for a moment. If he went with Gajeel, it would mean completely screwing up Lucy's plans with her friends. She might get mad at him, and refuse to acknowledge his existence. On the other hand, there was a possibility that she was hopeful he would show up, realizing that she wanted to spend more time with him. It was an optimistic idea influenced merely by his imagination, with not a hint of reality to it, but it spurred him to action all the same.

"Let's go!" he agreed excitedly, tossing a blanket over Happy before heading to the door. "Where are they?"

"I don't know."

The statement stopped Natsu in his tracks. "YOU DON'T KNOW? How the hell do you expect us to find them, then?"

"With our noses, dumbass. They're somewhere on the other side of town, I Just didn't wait around to see where. "

"Right! Come on!"

He bounded out of the apartment at an incredible speed, fueled by the thought that the night might finally be turning around for the better.

* * *

><p>The music was pounding in her ears, and Levy could feel herself swaying along with the rhythm as she downed another glass of the colouful alcohol. It was strange how much the taste of the cocktail had improved, and how much she felt a lot more at ease with letting loose and dancing the night away. There was a name for this state of mind, but for the life of her she just couldn't remember, only aware that she should probably refrain from going deeper into this realm of fog and dizziness.<p>

"You guys, I think I'm at my limit," she remarked as her friends ordered another round. Mirajane wrapped her arm around the small mage's shoulder and squeezed her tightly.

"Don't worry, it's just a couple of drinks," she giggled, nuzzling her check into Levy's. "And besides, I've had much more than you and I'm still fine!" Grabbing another glass, she forced it into her friend's hands, holding it there until she finally accepted it. "There you go!"

The two girls drank, and they felt the familiar burning sensation starting from the tips of their tongues all the way down their throats. It was a particularly strong drink, one that completely melted Levy's senses, and she teetered on her feet before quickly using Lucy's shoulder to balance herself.

"Damn!" the blonde gasped, causing both girls to erupt into a bout of giggles. She took Levy's hand into her own and started to pull her towards the dance floor. "Dance with me, Levy-chan!"

The Solid Script mage eagerly followed along onto the crowded floor, and the two started jumping around wildly to the beat, all of their reserves completely gone. Already they were attracting the attention of most of the males around them. After all, they were two beautiful and completely plastered girls, and it appeared that they were alone. One of their admirers decided he should go up to them and say hello, and he approached them cautiously, aware that he wasn't the only one after them. He tapped the smaller girl's shoulder and she turned around, the smile she had been sporting quickly disappearing. He asked her something, but she signaled that she didn't hear him so he moved closer.

"Want to dance with me?" he asked, holding out his hand. She was about to reply no thanks, she was already dancing with someone, when she saw a familiar figure standing behind the stranger.

"Gajeel!" she exclaimed happily, unaware that he hadn't heard her excited greeting.

"Move any closer and I will break every bone in that puny little arm of yours," Gajeel threatened, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

The man didn't need any more convincing, and he scuttled off quickly in search of other prey. The Dragon Slayer grinned mockingly and failed to notice Levy leaping towards him until her arms were around his neck and she had planted a light kiss on his lips.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, and he crumpled his nose in distaste as the strong scent of alcohol caught him off guard.

"How much have you been drinking?" he asked, pulling her away.

"Not that much, just two, three, or four…Five? Who cares, come dance with me!"

"Levy, I think I should take you home."

"But wait, what about Lu-chan? She won't have a partner!"

"She does. Let's go."

"But what about Cana and Mirajane? Let me say goodbye! Or are you impatient because you want me all to yourself?"

He rolled his eyes and lifted her over his shoulder, carting her out of the club as quickly as possible. She was completely and utterly wasted, and he found himself missing the sane, blushing girl he had kissed that afternoon. As he marched down the street she started humming to herself, and proceeded to get into a long explanation of what the song was and where she had heard it. He tolerated it for a few minutes, but he soon grew rather exasperated by her incessant chattering.

Setting her down to her feet, he put a finger onto her lips. "Calm down," he ordered, waiting until she ceased making any sound. He smirked in satisfaction and started to direct her down the crowded road, until they were finally alone and nearing her place of residence.

"Hey…are you taking me to Fairy Hills?" she queried, pausing beneath the glow of one of the streetlamps. Her eyes were illuminated by the dim yellow glow, and he could clearly see all that she was feeling, the most prominent emotion appearing to be disappointment.

"What do you think?" he responded, surprised she hadn't realized it sooner.

"But you won't be able to get in."

"I know that."

"But I don't want to go if you're not going to be there."

"…Huh?"

For the first time their roles had been reversed, and Levy had managed to render Gajeel completely speechless. Bemused by the situation, he barely resisted as she linked her arm with his and steered him in the opposite direction, relying upon him heavily to keep her upright.

"Let's go to your place instead!" she suggested enthusiastically. "It's cozy." The Dragon Slayer didn't think it was the best idea, but then again it meant he could keep an eye on her for the rest of the night and make sure she didn't go off and do anything stupid.

"I'm too good for you, you know," he remarked as she rested her head on his arm.

"Nah. I think you're just right."

* * *

><p>Lucy couldn't see the face of the person dragging her back over to the bar, but his touch seemed so familiar that she didn't struggle against his grip. She vaguely noticed him leaning over the counter and asking for something. Did he say coffee? She couldn't tell, she wasn't thinking straight. Where were Cana and Mirajane? She looked around the room and was surprised to see them being guided out the back door by…was that Elfman? Why was he there anyways? And who were the two men he was batting away with his fists?<p>

"I called him," a voice said. _Natsu? _"Figured he wouldn't want his sister alone and hammered. If you didn't realize, you asked that aloud. Now hold still a second, the coffee is hot."

She nodded and obediently sat down on one of the stools, watching him as he blew on the surface of the steaming mug. He held it out to her and she took it in her hands, blowing on it herself before taking a deep sip. The strong, bitter liquid helped remove a bit of the fog clouding her mind, but she was still pretty lightheaded.

"What are you doing here?" she slurred, clearing her throat and repeating the question to make sure he understood.

"Let's just say I'm your rescue party for the night," he answered. "C'mon Lucy, let's get out of here."

They left the club, and Lucy couldn't help shivering as the cold chilled her bones. Natsu slid his arm around her waist and pulled her in, the heat emanating from his body enough to slowly warm her up again. She watched his eyes as they ambled towards her apartment, trying to figure out what was going on in his head. But her mind had been too dulled by the drink, and she couldn't see anything that she could understand.

"Natsu, are you okay?" she moved her hands up to his cheeks, and she could feel the tension in his jaw as he reflected over whether or not to respond.

She was willing to listen. She was going to hear him out. But now wasn't the right time. For starters, she probably wouldn't remember anything the next day. And he would feel extremely guilty if he confronted her now, while she was so vulnerable. So he held his tongue until they arrived, leading her inside and moving Happy to the side so she could lie on the bed. It could wait until tomorrow. For tonight, he would be patient.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **I can't believe this story has reached over 15,000 hits, and I have to say you guys, thank you so much for reading my story, adding it to your favorites and alerts, and reviewing it. I'm very happy that so many people enjoy it. :) Without further ado, I present to you, my beloved readers, Chapter 14.

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><p>Levy stretched her arms high above her head, slinking deeper into the unfamiliar sheets she lay under. She didn't want to open her eyes – through the lids she could see not even the faintest of lights, meaning she had more time to sleep. Turning onto her side, she attempted to spread herself out over the bed completely, but her process was halted by two strong hands.<p>

"You can't have the whole bed to yourself," a voice grumbled sleepily.

_Gajeel, _she immediately identified it, and in response she wriggled closer to him, closing the small space that had been between them. She could feel his warm, steady breathing on her forehead, and imagined he could feel her own on his neck. With his arms around her small frame she felt so secure; she felt safe. He was a barrier which prevented anything unpleasant from reaching her. She didn't feel the same nerves she would have once felt a long time ago, if she had found herself in such a compromising position with him. Things were different now. The ex-Phantom she had once feared so greatly seemed eons away, and instead she found herself holding onto someone whom her feelings had greatly intensified for.

Looking down, Gajeel watched her brow furrow as she allowed herself to follow this train of thought deeper. Her face was illuminated by the orange glow of the streetlights outside the window, and there was a strange delicacy about her as she lay there next to him, something that intensified his want to protect her from any harm that may come her way. His mind flashed back to when her friends had attempted to 'bully' him, or whatever that pathetic excuse for an attack had been. When Luxus had shown up and had nearly scorched her with his lightning, he had felt the exact same thing then, an urge to defend her. That feeling had never gone away, and had instead only intensified as he had grown accustomed to her. Maybe that was why, on that fateful day in the alley, he hadn't walked away. Not because of her bleeding and unconscious friends, but because of her. Because he had still wanted to protect her. If the rest of the world hadn't mattered before, it certainly didn't matter now.

When she finally opened her eyes, he banished these thoughts from his head, afraid that he might speak them aloud. "Couldn't get back to sleep?"

"No," she sighed, nestling her head into the pillow. "You too?"

"Yep. Is it because you have that hangover headache or you're embarrassed about last night?"

"No headache or anything… and what are you talking about? I barely remember what I did in the club. Hopefully not anything stupid."

"I meant after that, here in my place."

"…..What did I do?"

**Flashback**

_Gajeel towed the giggling girl through the doorway, and watched her plop unceremoniously onto the floor while he locked the door. During the walk home it seemed as if she had become even more intoxicated, losing her footing on several occasions and toppling into the Dragon Slayer each time. Then there was more laughing, meaningless stories being told, and at one point she had tried to give all her belongings to an equally as drunk homeless man wandering the streets because she felt sorry for him. At least here he wouldn't have to worry about her doing anything stupid; she'd probably fall asleep sooner or later._

"_Gajeeeeeeeeel, you didn't dance with me!" Levy whined, pouting. Lifting herself off the floor, she skipped over to him and grabbed his hands, pulling him over to the center of the room. "Now, just put your hands on my waist, and move to the music!"_

"_Levy, there is no music." He resisted, but in the end allowed her to move him as she pleased. _

"_You don't hear it?" she looked puzzled for a moment and then shrugged. "Now that I think about it, neither do I. But it doesn't matter! We don't need music!"_

"…_I really don't want to dance, Levy."_

"_Too bad, 'cause I do!" _

_She linked her arms around his neck and laid her head on his chest, listening to the thudding of his heart. He rolled his eyes and went along with her swaying, comforted by the fact that in a few minutes she'd probably be knocked out. Such a tiny girl shouldn't be able to hold any alcohol at all, let alone five shots of whatever the hell she had drank. It seemed as if the party buzz was spreading around, because all of a sudden he could hear shouts and cheers coming from one of the apartments near his own, followed by the loud electronic hums and beats of music emanating from an impressively loud speaker. Levy seemed energized by the noise; she began to jump around in excitement._

"_It's just like the club's music! C'mon Gajeel, move!"_

_With the introduction of music came the appearance of an entirely different Levy, one who twisted her hips all ways round and seductively ran her hands across Gajeel – moving from his broad shoulders to his chest, down his muscular torso and back up, drawing him in closer and closer. He barely resisted; he had been rendered completely immobile by this shocking new development. She was pressing herself on to him, grinding her hips onto his own and holding him firmly against her with an iron grip on his shoulders. Gajeel's hands were rigid on her hips, the blood slowly leaving his brain and moving somewhere else. He had no clue how to deal with the whole situation. Not that he wasn't enjoying the way she was winding herself around him, the way she stroked his cheek with her lips and ran her fingers over the metal studs adorning his face. He could feel her against him like fire on ice, a scorching heat on a frozen plane, and all of a sudden he wanted more. He started to move along with her now, small, simple movements that made all the difference as the friction between the two grew. His hands ran along the length of her body, exploring her curves before moving back to their original position, this time loose and fluid, going along with her twists and turns easily. The music still blared in their ears, louder than before and complimented by a buzz of voices, although now a different song was playing, and they changed their pace to match it. He was moving along with the music now, and her fingers were digging into his shoulder as she ground into him even more, trying to stop any space from coming between them. Her breathing had become rapid, and his had taken the same turn._

_Peeling herself away from him, Levy took his hand in hers and pulled him to the side, leaning against the wall of the small apartment. Standing on her tiptoes she pulled him in, lightly brushing her lips on his. _

"_Levy," he whispered, his voice strained. She wasn't in a sane state of mind, maybe they shouldn't be doing this…But then she silenced him by pressing her mouth against his, and all sane thought was lost again as his hunger for her grew. Her hands were tangled in his hair as she devoured his lips with an incredible fierceness, and he pushed her further onto the wall with his body__, craving the same closeness as before. He worked his lips down her neck, encouraged by the soft gasps she emitted every so often. She was clutching the bottom of his shirt now, pulling on it with such force that the fabric was beginning to tear at the seams. But he didn't notice, he was too busy working on her collarbone. Finally his shirt gave way to her incessant pulling and fell to the ground, leaving his chest completely bare. Levy pulled herself away from his lips and ran her fingers down along his torso, his muscles firm and hot beneath her fingers. She moved her lips along his jaw, leaving a trail of small butterfly kisses behind. Was she teasing him? Did she have any idea how crazy she made him? The scorching heat that had devoured him was growing impossibly hotter. She slowly led him forward, right up until the backs of his legs hit the side of his bed. With a strength he didn't know she had, she pushed him onto the mattress. Climbing up on top of him, she straddled his hips and moved in to kiss him again, feeling his fingers lightly sweep the top of her ear as he moved stray locks of hair out of her face. _

_There was something there, deep in her core, a fire that was growing with each small touch they shared. As he moved into a sitting position and his lips worked their way over hers, she quickly unzipped her dress and climbed out of it without ever breaking the kiss. There she was, scantily clad in the lingerie she had chosen to wear under her dress, and Gajeel took it all in, the black, lacy material of her undergarments, the feeling of her bare skin under his hands as they freely roamed her body, her shoulders, her thighs, no inch of her remained untouched. He craved her even more now than he had ever done before, but as he looked into her eyes, there was something nagging him in the back of his head. They weren't the same, intelligent, clear eyes that he was used to seeing. They were hazy and bewitched, tainted with the cloudiness that normally came with intoxication. They weren't her eyes._

"_Levy, we can't do this," he muttered gruffly, lifting her off of his lap. She looked taken aback, taking in deep breaths to regain the oxygen she had lost. Once she was breathing normally, she leaned back in to him, bringing her face up close to his._

"_Why not?" she asked curiously, feeling rejected. "Don't you like me?"_

_He held his breath, the proximity becoming too much for him. "God damn it, Levy, you don't know what you do to me." Quickly getting off the bed before she came even nearer, he moved over to a medium-sized chest of drawers, from which he drew a large gray shirt. He tossed it over to Levy and leaned on the structure. "You have no idea what effect you have on me, especially right now. But we have to stop."_

"_But I know what I'm doing!"_

"_And so do I. Get some sleep."_

_With great effort he left the room, deciding to hide in the bathroom until she was fully covered up and asleep again. And until the blood returned to his head. _

**End of Flashback**

"I did all that?"

Levy brought her knees to her head and buried her face in her hands, hiding her scarlet cheeks from view. How could she look at him now? She was so embarrassed! She had acted impulsively and according to her desires, without thinking at all, something she would have never done if she had been sober. He had described it with barely any detail, but the faint memories she had of that night filled in what he couldn't have illustrated – the heat, the ferocity between them, the feeling of his body under her fingers, all the things that one couldn't explain in words if they tried. Oddly enough, rather than being ashamed of herself and her actions, there was an overpowering yearning to experience it all again, to truly feel what she could so faintly remember.

And he had stopped her. He had prevented her from going too far, from doing something she could have never reversed if she had tried. Hell, she didn't know how he had managed to stop himself. She could dimly recall what he had said to her, even though he hadn't repeated it now. _God damn it, Levy, you don't know what you do to me._ _You have no idea what effect you have on me, especially right now. But we have to stop. _He had cared so much for her, protected her once again, like he always did.

She wanted to open her mouth, to say something, anything, but then the humiliation of her drunken actions from before they had reached his apartment came rushing back, and she suppressed the urge to hide under the covers and curl into the fetal position.

"Um, Gajeel, I'm sorry I was such a hassle," she murmured into her hands, afraid even though he had made not one insulting comment about her behavior. In fact, he had practically skimmed over the entire thing, as though he hadn't wanted her to worry.

"...You weren't any trouble," he muttered, the tone of his voice low and its tremor close to that of a growl. "Levy…do you…regret what you…what we did last night?"

"What?" She looked up at him and found his crimson eyes boring into hers, searching her soul for an answer he didn't want to find. Did he really think that she would regret that moment? That she would regret getting so close to him, moving further with him than she had ever done with another man? Couldn't he see how badly she wished she remembered every moment of that night, to feel what she had felt all over again?

"Of course I don't regret it," she said softly. She looked away from him, ready to say everything on her mind but unable to look him in the eye anymore. Instead she decided to inspect the hem of the shirt Gajeel had given her to wear, stalling as she chose her words. _You know what? Screw it. _For once, she wouldn't be scared to say what she wanted to say. She wouldn't need a drink in her stomach to express herself. She could do it on her own. "Gajeel…I don't remember much. But I wish I did. Because now I'm missing out on what was probably one of the most magical nights of my life. I would never regret being with you, not for a single moment."

For an entire minute, the Dragon Slayer stayed silent, and the smaller mage refused to look at him, wondering why he wasn't saying anything. But then he was ruffling her hair like he normally did, and she let out a deep sigh of relief.

"That's good," he finally said. "That you don't regret it." He gently turned her face towards him, and dipped in towards her. "'Cause now I can do this."

And then he kissed her.

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><p>"What's wrong?"<p>

Lucy patiently waited for Natsu to respond, but he stayed silent. _What's going on with him? _she asked herself, watching him drum his fingers on the surface of the table. The morning had started out normally enough; she had woken up to the sight of him spread out across the floor, passed out with Happy curled up next to his head. While enjoying a hangover free breakfast she had expected Natsu to wake up and join her, bringing his monstrous appetite along with him. In fact, in preparation for the moment she had made extra helpings of breakfast just to satisfy him and his cat. But when he had awoken, he had been distant and moody, opening his mouth only to take small bites from the insanely large pile of food on his plate. It was very unusual for him to act like this.

"Natsu, seriously, is something up?" she watched his eyes, which swiveled towards her momentarily. She could see something there, something akin to hesitation. Why wouldn't he just tell her what bothering him? Maybe it was something she did the night before? "Is it something that happened yesterday? Because if it is, I should point out that I still don't remember anything."

Finally, he answered her. "It's not exactly anything from last night…well, maybe just a little. But not really."

"I'm confused."

"…Okay. I'll tell you. This is the deal. Lucy, I feel ignored."

"Ignored?"

"Yes. By you. Ever since we got together I haven't be able to spend any time with you. You've been too busy with Levy."

The blonde allowed this information to sink in, but she couldn't see what he was getting at. They had spent countless of hours together! Sure, she had spent a lot of time with her blue-haired friend as well, but it wasn't like she didn't see Natsu anymore.

"I have been spending a lot of time with her, but I've spent just as much time with you," she stated, unaware that this response would only agitate him even more.

"That's not true," Natsu retorted. "You've been obsessed with Levy and Gajeel. You've been taking care of her while she was sick, and then you orchestrated that whole 'Let's-lock-them-in-the-basement plan'. We barely had a minute alone and then after that it was back to Levy, arranging your whole girl's night out and everything. Where have I been this entire week? In your scheme to make sure those two stayed together, did you even consider us for a moment?"

"I didn't think I needed to, we didn't have any problems!"

"Well now we do, don't we? Couldn't you just admit that you've been ignoring me? Why is it so hard? I'm pretty sure I've made myself as clear as I could. Just think about it for a minute."

Lucy huffed in frustration and folded her arms across her chest, but she did as Natsu asked. Could he be right? Was she really not giving him the attention he deserved? Now that she thought about it seriously, in comparison to her blue-haired friend she had seen the Dragon Slayer a whole lot less, something she hadn't realized up until this point in time. Why hadn't she noticed? She was his girlfriend; she was supposed to see these things! Natsu was as easy to read as an open book, yet she had still missed it completely. But why hadn't he done anything about it? He wasn't the kind of person who would be happy with just sitting around and going unnoticed. When he wanted something, he went and got it. What had stopped him now?

"Natsu…why didn't you say anything to me before?" she queried as he ran a hand through his hair, causing multiple strands and locks to stick out all over the place.

"I don't know," he mused, leaning forward on his elbows. "I guess I just didn't want to interrupt. Well actually, I really, really wanted to interrupt. Maybe I was just afraid you'd get mad at me or something."

"Why would I get mad?"

"I don't know. You're so weird, you know? It's hard to understand you sometimes."

She could feel a guilty pang in the middle of her stomach, and she leaned over the table to peck him lightly on bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry," she rested her forehead on his before moving back. "I didn't notice. It's my fault. Let me make it up to you. We can do anything you want. Name it."

He pondered her proposition for a millisecond before nodding. "Alright…Let's go."

"Let's go where?"

"Anywhere. I mean it Lucy, don't give me that look. The sky's the limit! I want to spend every waking moment I can with you, no matter where we are. Because I'm crazy about you. Think about it for a minute. Just one day, that's all I'm asking for. We can disappear, no-one has to know where we are or what we're doing."

A romantic day. Anywhere she wanted to go. Just her and Natsu. The determination in his eyes was enough to convince her she was making the right choice.

"Let's go," she agreed. The smile that crossed his face sent her heart aflutter, it was one expressing pure joy, and maybe even something stronger, an emotion that Lucy couldn't give a name to. Entwining her fingers with his, she started to lead him out the door, but halted when they heard Happy's snoring faintly emanate through the doorway. "Hey, what about Happy?"

"He won't want to come. He plans to go woo Charle with more fish."

"But that hasn't been working!"

"What can I say? He's not going to back down."

"Well that's good then. Leaves me more time to focus on you, anyway."

"That's the attitude I want to hear!" With a renewed energy he pulled her across the threshold and out into the sunlight, where the birds were singing happily and small wooden boats lazily made their way down the canal. He paused and looked left and right, unsure of which path to take. "Hey Lucy, where did you want to go again?"

"Have you forgotten what you said already? Let's go anywhere."

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><p>Droy covered both his ears in an attempt to block out the two screaming females, but it was no use. He and all the other fairies were helpless victims to the shrieking voices, but he was able to take some comfort in the fact that it was not being directed at him. <em>All of this over a failed party night<em>, he thought sadly, shaking his head.

"AND ANOTHER THING," Cana yelled, jamming a finger into Elfman's chest. "DO YOU THINK THAT WE'RE CHILDREN? THAT WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE OUR LIQUOR, LET ALONE TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES?"

"Look, I only came because I didn't want you two to be there alone," he argued, raising his palms in surrender. "But then Lucy, Natsu, Levy and Gajeel were leaving the club, and I didn't want to be stuck there with two HAMMERED girls drooling all over those two pieces of filth."

"It's not like we were going to marry them!" It was Mirajane's turn to fight now, her normally calm and peaceful expression twisted into one of frustration. "And it was barely a few minutes past midnight! You could have at left us for a couple of more hours! I'm sure you would've found something to do."

"A man does not leave two young and intoxicated women prey in a club!"

"SHUT UP WITH THAT GODDAMN MAN CRAP!" Cana snapped. "You should've just gotten Natsu and Gajeel to stay. Speaking of which, why was Gajeel there anyways?"

"Don't ask me, I think Natsu wanted his help finding you guys. You know, that whole Dragon Slayer enhanced-smelling thing they have going on."

"Ugh, to hell with those two and their noses. They should be glad they're not here now, I'd rip them both new pairs."

With that, Mirajane sighed and returned to her post behind the bar, and to everyone's relief Cana followed. Droy turned to make a comment to his partner, but there was a dark look on Jet's face, and he felt a nervous twisting in the pit of his stomach. _Uh-oh. What's going on here?_ "Jet? Are you okay?"

Jet ignored Droy's inquiry and instead turned to Mirajane, putting on a façade of nonchalance. "So, Mira, where are Lucy and Levy, then?"

As she poured herself a mug of steaming tea, she frowned for a moment and then shrugged. "I don't know. They're both probably nursing major hangovers. I didn't see Levy back at Fairy Hills last night, she probably crashed at Lucy's place. She was with Gajeel and Natsu, don't worry about it."

"So they all went together?"

"I'm not sure. Gajeel might have taken Levy outside for some fresh air before Natsu took Lucy out. I was too smashed to notice anything else, really. Like I said though, don't worry. Levy will show up eventually." She gave him a small wink and moved away to sit down and drink her tea in peace, oblivious to the effect her words had on him. He swiveled around in his seat back to his teammate, his fingers gripping the edge of the counter so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

"Did you hear that?" he hissed, looking around to make sure there was no-one close enough to overhear their conversation. "I have a feeling Levy never went with Lucy, after all."

"But Mirajane said they all left together," Droy whispered back, wondering why his teammate was taking the news so badly.

"She doesn't know about Levy and Gajeel! Why would she even guess for a second that Gajeel would have carted Levy off by himself unless she knew they were together? Don't you understand? Levy never showed up at her apartment! And I'm sure that he didn't take her to Lucy's. Which means the only place she could have gone is back home with him!"

"What are you getting at?"

"Are you clueless? Levy was drunk and vulnerable. What if he took her back to his place and took advantage of her?"

"I don't think he'd do that…"

"Are you kidding? He's capable of _anything_! We have to go find her!"

Ignoring Droy's protests and pleas for him to see reason, he bolted out of the guild with the speed of lightning, and his teammate begrudgingly followed. _This is ridiculous, _he groaned inwardly. _He's overreacting. He doesn't even know where Gajeel lives. Still, I'd better stick with him, just in case he tries to do something stupid. _

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><p>"What time is it?"<p>

Gajeel grumbled something under his breath as he blindly waved his arm around, searching for his alarm clock. He ended up finding it on the floor instead of on the tiny nightstand it was meant to be on. Maybe he knocked it over in his sleep. Oh well. Bringing it right to his face, he decided to open his eyes, and had to wait a minute for his vision to clear before he could read the clock face. "It's…eleven," he stated, carelessly tossing the instrument back onto the ground.

"That's not good," Levy murmured, unwilling to get up. "We should never, ever have early morning conversations again."

"I don't know, I kind of liked the second part," he commented, a small smile appearing on his face. He heard her giggle softly and felt the mattress shift beneath him as she swung her legs off the side. "Where are you going?"

"We have to go to the guild. People will be wondering where we are." She stood up and sleepily scratched her arm, unsure of how to go about her daily morning routine. Everything she needed was back in her apartment. What was she going to do?

"If you didn't realize, you don't have any clothes," Gajeel pointed out, glancing sideways at her. "I mean, there is that dress, but you really wouldn't want to show up in that." He couldn't help chuckling at the look that appeared on her face as she pictured the scene.

Shaking her head, she stood up and walked over to the tiny closet-like bathroom. Upon catching sight of herself in the mirror she nearly burst out laughing – she had forgotten to remove her make-up from the night before, and as a consequence it had spread out around her eyes, creating a hollow, zombie-like effect. The rosy lipstick she had worn had disappeared entirely, but then that hadn't happened while she was asleep. Blushing at the blurry memories that rushed into her head, she grabbed one of the rolls of tissue sitting on top of the toilet's tank and ripped off a few squares, rinsing them in water before viciously scrubbing her face.

"You could have told me what I looked like!" she called out as she wiped away the remnants of her smudged eyeliner. Footsteps approached and suddenly Gajeel appeared in the doorway, and for the first time Levy realized that he hadn't bothered putting another shirt back on. Her cheeks could've been on fire for all she knew, and she hurriedly looked away, hoping he would attribute it to her fierce scrubbing, even though in reality she was still pretty embarrassed for ripping the material off his chest.

"It's not that bad," he observed, leaning on the frame and crossing his arms. "You kind of look like a raccoon."

"I always hoped one day a man would tell me I looked like a raccoon," she remarked sarcastically, enticing a cheeky snicker from him. When everything was gone and her face was pink and rosy, she asked him for some mouthwash, and they both took a swig from the tiny bottle he kept under the sink. "Could you please put on a shirt?"

The question was so out of place that it surprised him, but he just shrugged and walked out, intending to get a new shirt, when a loud banging on the door stopped him from going any further. "Who the hell is that?" Crossing over the space between him and the door, he unlocked it and moved back as it flung open, right at the same time the bathroom door closed. Standing on the other side, to Gajeel's great surprise, was none other than the male fraction of team Shadow Gear. He moved to slam the door shut, but Jet was already half way through the doorway, blocking it with his body. Droy stood behind him, shaking his head, but neither of the two noticed. It was just Gajeel and Jet in their little world, both of them radiating waves of hostility and animosity. It was Jet who spoke first, fueled by the strong resolve to find Levy and get her the hell away from the Dragon Slayer.

"Where is she?"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: **Chapter 15! 97 reviews! You guys want to make me become the happiest person alive by getting me to 100+? :D Thank you all for adding this story to your alerts, your favorites, and for your reviews. Enjoy the chapter!

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><p>Gajeel wasn't sure whether he wanted to laugh, or whether he wanted to punch Jet in the face and stuff him into one of the trash cans outside. But he was in a good mood, so after deliberating for a few seconds, he decided on the former option. Jet's eyes narrowed as the Dragon Slayer's loud guffaws echoed all the way down the hall and into his ears, bouncing around against his skull and infuriating him to no end. In the background there was the faint sound of running water, but none of the men seemed to notice it. They were all too preoccupied with their own thoughts.<p>

"I asked you a question," Jet snarled, grinding his teeth together. "Where is Levy?"

Pretending to wipe tears of joy from his eyes, Gajeel shot his visitor a smug smirk. "Well, well, well, look at the tough guy! Tell me tough guy, are you stalking me now? Finding out where I live, refusing to leave, what is this obsession you have with me?" His grin grew even wider as Jet's glare grew positively more ferocious, his teeth clenched together so tightly that it looked like they might crack at any moment. This was too much fun.

Droy could see exactly the same thing, and decided it was time to intervene. He maneuvered Jet to the side so that they were both standing in the doorway, blocking it completely. "Look, we had to come here 'cause we wanted to find Levy," he explained calmly. "We heard you took her out of the club last night. Could you tell us where she is now?"

"I bet he's got her here!" Jet declared, attempting to get into the apartment once more. The ex-phantom continued to block his path without even so much as glancing at him, instead focusing on his partner.

"You know, I'd tell you 'cause you haven't pissed me off yet, and that's a good thing," Gajeel stated. "But I don't like him, and it's fun screwing with his head. So maybe another time." He wasn't lying. Droy, he had absolutely no problem with. He seemed like the saner of the two, keeping cool and collected while the other was impatiently moving from side to side, his fingers twitching like crazy. The latter, he couldn't stand.

As soon as he had opened the door and saw Jet's face, his muscles had already began to grow taut in anticipation of what he knew was going to come. He could tell that the mage loathed him dearly, it was clear to anyone. Of course, he had no problem with that, because as well as reciprocating those feelings, he was also provided with a major source of entertainment. However, at a time like this, when he had been enjoying himself so much, the mage's jealousy-fueled antics were very unappreciated, and extremely exasperating. So, he decided, rather than make life easier for them, he would make the orange-haired man suffer.

On the other side of the threshold, Jet was fuming. He knew Gajeel was mocking him, and enjoying every minute of it. He, however, did not feel the same. Obviously the ex-Phantom knew where Levy was, and was hiding it from them. What made him think he had any right to do that? They were her teammates, her best friends! What kind of friends would they be if they weren't worried sick about her? After all, she could have been right in that apartment, with that insane crimson-eyed monster. She wasn't safe with him.

"I'm getting tired of this, asshole," Jet said, his voice smoother than before. "Is she here or not? Or did you just leave her on the side of the street somewhere?"

"Now why would I do that? If you forgot, she and I are _together_." Gajeel stressed the last word, adding a taunting smile into the mix for emphasis. "We're a couple, an item, in a relationship, boyfriend and girlfriend…" he went on and on, his wicked smile only growing in size as the lines in Jet's forehead grew deeper.

Once again, Droy felt the need to interrupt. He could see what the Dragon Slayer was doing, purposely provoking his partner. He could also tell that it was working very, very well. The animosity between them was insane - a major sign of what was yet to come. This was what he had feared when Jet had first come to the conclusion that they should 'visit' Gajeel; that no matter what happened, the end result would stay the same. They would fight, like they always did, only this time it would be a lot worse, considering that Levy was right in the middle of it. But what was the point of it all? Gajeel was always itching for a fight with Jet because of his immense dislike for him, and Jet was letting his envy get the better of him, allowing it to cloud his judgment.

"I'm bored," Gajeel said suddenly, shifting on his feet to a more offensive stance. "It's time for you two to leave." He moved forward to push them out of the doorway, and Jet used the moment to his advantage, ducking under the mage's arm and bolting past so quickly he nearly crashed into the wall on the other side of the room.

His eyes swiveled around frantically as he searched for any sign of his teammate. The ex-Phantom 's heavy tread reached him just as he caught sight of a small black dress lying on the floor. He bent over and lifted it up, ignoring the threatening hand that appeared on his shoulder. This dress, laced with small golden designs, looked exactly Levy's size. In fact, so did the high-heeled shoes that had been hidden beneath them. "What the hell is this?" he growled, clenching the fabric tightly in his hands.

"A dress, dumbass," Gajeel answered, tearing it from his grip and tossing it onto the bed. "Now, I'm only going to say this once, so listen up: get the fuck out of my apartment before I throw you out the fucking window." He forcefully turned the orange-haired mage the other way and began to shove him back towards the door, but he wasn't having any of it. He spun around and stood right up to Gajeel, glaring at him so fiercely that he could have burnt holes in his opponent.

"Is the dress Levy's? IS IT?"

"Do you really think I have to answer to you?"

Jet yelled a biting remark in response, and the two started savagely yelling at each other. Droy suppressed a groan and stepped inside, keeping to the wall. He had fully given up on stopping the two from fighting. They obviously weren't going to listen to him, the most he could hope to do was prevent them from killing each other when they started throwing punches. He drowned out their shouts by focusing on the other sounds he could hear - the birds chirping outside, the slamming of a door in someone else's apartment, and the oddly close sound of rushing water. He found it peculiar that he could hear it so clearly, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise when a very audible squeaking sound reached his ears and the water stopped. He turned his head, looking for the source of the sound and inconspicuously inched towards the closed wooden door near him, deciding it could be there. He lightly pressed his ear against it, and he was able to hear soft footsteps against the floor, and…humming? _Is someone in there?_

He fleetingly considered asking Gajeel, but one look at him and Jet made it clear that it wasn't an option. The two were at each other's throats now, yelling obscenities left and right. Thankfully though, neither had attacked the other yet. Droy scrutinized the scene, watching the way Jet's yells grew louder and harsher while Gajeel's stayed the same. The Dragon Slayer's fists were clenched tightly at his sides, as if he was stopping himself from moving. _Is Gajeel holding back? _It certainly seemed that way, but why would he do that? Now that he thought about it, it was strange that the ex-Phantom hadn't attacked as soon as Jet had slipped inside, instead only threatening violence. After all of that provocation, was that as far as he would go? His thoughts were momentarily silenced when a woman's voice called out from behind the closed door. Apparently Jet and Gajeel had heard it as well, because the two immediately fell silent. He scooted backwards, and a few seconds later a loud _click _reverberated around the room as the door slowly opened, revealing a small blue-haired girl clad in an ill-fitting t-shirt that reached halfway down her legs, which were completely bare. Her hair was dripping with water, and her mouth formed a small 'O' as she took in the sight of everyone in the room.

"…Levy?"

* * *

><p>Levy stepped out of the shower and reached for the towel hanging on the hook beside it, drying herself off as quickly as she could. She knew Gajeel had company, she could hear the loud voices through the walls, but she had no clue what they were saying. She slipped back into the t-shirt Gajeel had given her, feeling squeaky clean and a lot more alert. And now that her brain was functioning properly, she was faced with the dilemma of how on earth she would manage to get back to her apartment and change if she had nothing else to wear but the dress from the night before. <em>I can't wear the dress, if I run into the girls I'll be busted, and I can't go around in this, either! <em>Unable to come up with a solution, she decided to busy herself with wiping off the mist that had formed on the surface of the mirror. _What are you going to do, Levy?_

She nearly jumped out of her skin when one of the louder hollers from the other side of the door caught her attention. "What's going on out there?" she mumbled, abandoning her job and moving over to the door. "Hey, Gajeel, is everything okay?" she called out. An unnerving silence followed her inquiry, and she felt something twist in the pit of her stomach. Anxiety? Dread, maybe? Bracing herself, she took the door's handle and turned it, slowly pushing it open. Her vocal chords seemed to twist together as she was met with the sight of Jet, Droy, and Gajeel, all three of them staring of her with a great intensity.

Jet, however, seemed absolutely horrified, his gaze moving from her face down to her revealed legs. "…Levy?" he whispered, disbelief coating her name. She could see something building up in him, a fire that was engulfing his eyes and the rest of his body. "What…what's going on?"

"Nothing!" Levy exclaimed, just as Gajeel proclaimed "What does it look like, genius?"

She gave the crimson-eyed mage a dirty look and opened her mouth to tell Jet that he was just teasing him, but that one sentence had managed to completely shatter what was left of his composure. "You, you filthy piece of slime!" he roared, glowering at his opponent with all his might. "I'm going to kill you!"

"I'd like to see you try," Gajeel started. He was interrupted by a blurry foot smashing into his jaw and sending him across the room, throwing him right onto his nightstand. The small wooden table collapsed underneath him, unable to handle the force of the impact. Droy and Levy were completely stunned, both of them thinking the exact same thing: _Jet hit him?_

Their teammate was already rushing towards the blue-haired mage, grabbing her hand and attempting to drag her out as quickly as he could. "C'mon Levy, I'm getting you out of here."

"What?" she pulled her hand away from his and stood her ground. "Jet, you're overreacting! He was just messing with you! Nothing like that happened!"

"Levy, you're in his shirt, your clothes were on the floor, what am I supposed to think?" he asked, taking hold of her arm and pulling her again. "I heard you were wasted last night, maybe you don't remember, maybe he lied to you and did something to you!"

"You're wrong!"

Gajeel had gotten up now, brushing the splinters off his chest as if nothing had happened. Anyone could sense the hostility radiating from him, and although Levy was absolutely furious with her friend's accusations, she was frightened for him as well. "Jet, will you please just listen to me?" she begged, taking his hand in hers. "I'm telling you the truth, you're just making assumptions!"

"Yeah Jet, why don't you listen to her?" the ex-Phantom agreed, placing his arm around her shoulders, preventing her from moving another step. "You know, on second thought, why don't you just continue and tell us what you think? Because I really want to hear this."

"Get away from her," Jet warned, tugging on her arm again. "I don't want you even touching - !"

_SMACK! _Gajeel's palm made contact with Jet's mouth, and he shoved the speed mage against the wall so hard that the plaster began to crumble, spider cracks were making their way up from behind his head. "Mmph!" The orange-haired mage struggled furiously against the hand trapping his face, but it was no use. When he was released he nearly fell to the ground, but a boot to his chin sent him crashing into the plaster once again, this time creating a miniature crater in the wall. He collapsed onto the ground, coughing as blood leaked out from inside his mouth.

"That, was for the scratch you gave me earlier," Gajeel explained mockingly, sneering at his opponent. "Not so fun when it's you, is it?"

He had no idea how to react when a well-aimed kick crashed into the back of his knee, sending him falling to the floor. He stopped himself with his palms, but not before Jet had stood up and kicked him the chest, sending him spinning in the air before he collided face-first with the floor. He immediately jumped back up and thundered towards the Shadow Gear member, fully intent on breaking his face. He had gone easy on him earlier, not expecting him to put up much of a fight. However, now Gajeel was just plain pissed off, and he wouldn't calm down until he broke something into pieces.

His opponent picked himself up as well, breathing heavily as he wiped the blood off his chin with the sleeve of his jacket. Droy, who had remained in the background until now, suddenly appeared in between the two, holding his palms out to both of them. "You guys, this is enough," he said, hoping they would listen to him. "Why don't we all just calm down and –, " Gajeel was in no mood to be stopped, and as his arm reformed itself into an iron pillar, he slammed it into Droy's chest, sending the mage collapsing onto the floor, cradling his ribs as he hissed in agony.

"Droy!" Levy cried out. She rushed towards him and knelt by his side, watching him with worry as he maneuvered himself into a sitting position.

"It's okay," he wheezed, catching his breath. "Just bruised, I think."

The small blue-haired girl couldn't believe what had just happened, and turned back to watch the fight breaking out behind her. It was a flurry of kicks and punches, flashes of red and black against orange and purple. She couldn't tell what was going on, but it was obvious that the orange and purple streaks were becoming much slower. In fact, everything seemed to slow down, and the longer she stared the clearer and sharper the details turned out. There was Jet, using up all his magic on speeding himself up in an attempt to give himself a fighting chance. But his adversary was far better skilled than he was, and now that he was actually trying to win, the situation could not have been more one-sided.

Gajeel slammed the iron pillar that was once his hand into Jet's stomach, and drove the fairy straight up into the roof, immobilizing him completely. He ignored Levy's cries for him to stop and calm down as he repeatedly jammed the pillar against the man's stomach. He wouldn't calm down. He couldn't. Hadn't she heard what the man had insinuated? That he had _hurt _Levy? That he had taken advantage of her while she was vulnerable? How dare he accuse him of that! Even if Gajeel had mocked him and provoked him and pushed him, how dare Jet infer anything! What did he know? The Dragon Slayer seemed to grow angrier with every punch, and he let the mage fall to the ground before continuing to smash him over and over again, with his fists, his boots, and even one of the wooden legs belonging to the broken nightstand.

Levy was horrified with the sight, especially with all the red she could see. She winced with each scream of pain that came out of her friend's mouth, until finally she couldn't take it anymore. She had to do something, she had to stop this! "STOP IT!" she screeched, running into the middle of the chaos and throwing herself over her limp teammate. She didn't realise that Gajeel wouldn't be able to stop himself until the wooden leg had slammed into her, right between her neck and her shoulder blade. The sharp edge must have cut her, because now she was bleeding, and she could feel the warm red liquid running down her back.

"Oh my god," Gajeel whispered, clenching the wood in his hand so tightly that it broke into two, leaving him with a fistful of splinters. "Levy, what the hell were you thinking?" She couldn't hear him, she couldn't feel anything, she was completely focused on Jet, who had seen everything that had happened. He tried to speak but she shook her head.

"Please, don't say anything," she requested. He nodded and kept silent, allowing her to assess the damage that had been done. It was just as bad as the night in the alley, maybe even worse. Although there wasn't as much blood as she thought she had seen, he was still badly bruised, and one of his legs was twisted at an odd angle. His nose was definitely broken, and his lip was cut, the source of the blood. Droy crawled towards them, feeling a bit better, and reached into his pocket for a tissue, handing it to his comrade so he could quell the bleeding.

Levy barely noticed Gajeel pressing some sort of fabric against her wound until he pulled her against his chest, keeping her still with one hand while he increased pressure on the cut with the other. "Don't move," he ordered, and she obeyed. She wasn't even sure if she could move. The fight was being played over and over and over again in her head, Jet's sneak attacks, Gajeel's sudden violent assault. _This is all my fault, _she mentally whispered to herself. _From the beginning, this was always my fault. I kept me and Gajeel a secret for too long; I never properly sat down with Jet and Droy and talked to them about this thing. And now, just like last time, I couldn't stop them. I couldn't do anything. I'm so useless. _

No-one in the room could tell what she was thinking, but the haunted look on her face was enough to send shivers down their spines. "Gajeel, let me go," she whispered, pulling away from him. He didn't know whether he should stop her or not, so he granted her wish and released his hold on her. She got up and picked up her discarded dress from the bed and strode into the bathroom. A minute later she came out in the dress, gently laying the t-shirt she had been wearing onto the bed.

"What's going on?" Gajeel asked, getting onto his feet. He tried to move close to her, but she shook her head, stopping him in his tracks.

"I'm sorry you guys," she mumbled, and then, barefoot, she dashed out of the apartment before anyone could say anything else. With Droy's help, Jet stood up, leaning heavily on his friend. The Dragon Slayer ignored them as they made their slow way out of the room and down the hall, his mind far too preoccupied for the likes of them. He was angry at them for ever showing up, but more than that, he was angry at himself for hurting Levy. Although he had been able to stop himself from hitting her at full force, the point was, he still hit her. He cut her. Was that why she left in such a rush? Was she mad at him, or even worse, _afraid_ of him? He wanted to chase after her, but he knew that she wanted to be alone. She needed some time for herself.

…_Fuck that!_ A voice inside his head yelled. He put on the shirt that she had abandoned and quickly rushed out of the apartment, determined to find her and to make things right.

* * *

><p>Taking back-alley routes and empty streets, Levy somehow managed to make it back to her apartment without being seen by anyone she knew. To the pedestrians she did come across, she was just some strange girl running barefoot across the road, her back smeared with blood. All they did was watch her run past and then resume their lives.<p>

As soon as she had made it into Fairy Hills and up to her apartment, she slammed her door shut behind her so powerfully that it shook on its hinges, threatening to fall. A moment of silence followed, and then the tears came pouring down.

She slid down to the floor as the sobs erupted from her chest, wrapping her arms around her torso as if they were the only things that were keeping her together, keeping her from breaking apart. She was filled with so many emotions – grief, anger, guilt, sorrow, it was all too much for her too take. _But I deserve it,_ she thought bitterly. _Why do I keep on doing this? I was being so selfish. I __**am**__ selfish. I should've done something sooner, said something sooner. Poor Jet…but…I can't be mad at Gajeel…I don't know, am I mad at him? This time it was too much, it was way too much…but it all started when I left the bathroom, when they saw me. It all began with me._

Feeling light-headed, she attempted to take a deep breath, holding back the rest of the cries that were threatening to burst out. She had to calm down, she needed air.

Without warning, the door to her room crashed open, revealing the last person she needed to see. Ironically, while she avoided looking up at him as he approached her, she realized he was also the only person she actually wanted to see. She could hear him saying something, but she wasn't listening to him. It was hard enough holding back her tears. If she tried to speak, they would probably come out instead.

Gajeel crouched down in front of her and tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at him. The faint bruises forming along his jawline was enough to bring back the events of the day to mind. She wrenched her face away from him, but not before he saw the wet streaks running down her cheeks. "Ah, shit," he muttered, unsure of how to react as small droplets of water began to fall to the ground in front of him, leaving circular stains in the carpet. Now she was crying, what was he supposed to do? He didn't have any experience with crying woman at all. Was he supposed to hug her, pat her on the shoulder, ruffle her hair? Give her a tissue, or food or something else?

Noticing a splash of red on her back, he craned his neck forward and realized that her back was covered in blood. The sight stopped his heart for just a second, until closer inspection assured him that it wasn't still pouring out. Trying to block out her sobs, he searched for any sign of a bathroom, but it was hard to see over the mountains of books she had lying around everywhere. He did, however, sight a small kitchen to his left. He squeezed in between piles and went over to the counter, choosing one of the small cloths on its surface and wetting it before returning to the weeping girl.

He ran the wet rag over her back, wincing as he saw the beginnings of a bruise around the cut. He patted it more gently now, afraid of hurting her even more. She had finally become silent, and was staring into the distance while he worked, apparently caught up in her thoughts. But now he wanted her to speak. No, he _needed _her to speak.

"Talk to me," he ordered. She tilted her head slightly in his direction, but other than that she made no movement. "Levy," he tried again, tossing the bloodied rag aside and moving to the front. Cupping her face tenderly in his hands, he wiped the tear trails from her face, earning him her attention. "Why are you crying?"

"You shouldn't be here," she murmured, placing her hand on top of his. "I've just made things a mess for you. And for Jet. And Droy. And god knows who else."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't you see it? How everything is my fault? It's my fault you've had to fight so many people, my fault that Jet's been so tortured nowadays, and my fault Droy got himself hurt. God knows who else I've hurt with my selfishness."

"Levy, I still don't understand – "

"Didn't you see Jet after that? The alley incident, it happened all over again! Only this time, I led to it! Thanks to me and you being together, keeping it a secret, all of these which were my ideas, look at what I've done to my friends!"

"Shut up."

For the first time since he had arrived, Levy looked at him properly, focusing on the crimson eyes that were boring into her. "…What?"

"I want you to shut up," he repeated. "Just stop right there. Don't you dare go about regretting me and you, because that's the only good thing I've had going for me since I became a member of your guild. Secondly, what happened between me and Jet was our decision. You're not blind, are you? You saw that we chose to fight. And I'm not going to apologize for beating the shit out of him, because he deserved it. But I don't want you going around blaming yourself and crying. And thirdly, sure, I'll agree that you're selfish. But I am too. I want you all to myself. If anyone else comes near you, I'll break them. We all have our flaws, although god knows yours are purely just your imagination. I FUCKING HIT YOU! Shouldn't _I _be the one moaning about what a horrible shit I am? So do me a favor and shut the hell up, and stop crying. Got it?"

The blue-haired mage was stunned by the Dragon Slayer's rant. One would have thought it was a terrible method of cheering someone up. Yet strangely enough, she could feel something bubbling inside of her. Laughter suddenly encompassed the entire room, and it took her a minute to grasp that it was all coming from her. The sudden recognition of her giggles brought up even more, and Gajeel couldn't understand what the hell was going on as she clutched her stomach, gasping for breath as once again tears fell from her eyes. But all the same he could feel a grin forming on his face. The scene, if not completely senseless, was also amusing him to no end. Females, they were so confusing!

"I hope you know you look ridiculous," he observed. She responded with a series of gasps, before finally calming down.

"Wow," she breathed, leaning back on her palms. "That was intense. Thank you. Really. Weirdly enough, you actually helped."

"…I don't like how surprised you sound."

Levy snickered at his reaction and sighed. She wasn't lying. She did feel better. Now she could hopefully change into normal clothes and go about her day like a normal person should. But before that, she knew there was something important she had to do, something she couldn't avoid.

"Gajeel, I…I have to do something, and you're probably not going to like it," she told him, using his shoulder as a post for her to lean on while she got off the ground.

"Then don't do it."

"I don't have a choice."

"What is it?"

"…I have to talk to Jet."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Here we are, at the end of this journey. That's right, folks, this is the last chapter of 'An Unlikely Romance'. I'd just like to say kahdkgjhadkfghkadfh 110 REVIEWS! I'm so proud of that number, thank you all so much for helping me reach it! Thanks for adding this story to your favorites and your alerts, and thanks to those of you who have stuck with this story right from the beginning, and those of you who have joined in along the way. It's been really amazing writing this fic, and I don't plan on stopping here. I'm already working on a Naruto fanfic, so keep an eye out for it! **

**To all my readers, I hope you guys know that I love you! :D It's thanks to you guys that I kept going and finished this story, and I'm so proud of it it's not even funny.**

**Now, please enjoy the final installment of this story. :)**

* * *

><p>When Levy nervously opened the clinic door and peeked inside, Jet felt like once again he had been punched in the gut. As she approached the bed he could feel his throat clench up. He looked away – he didn't want to face her. He couldn't face her. It was an impossible task. But it didn't look like she was going to go away any time soon.<p>

"Jet?" she called out, having reached the foot of his bed only a second ago. He kept his eyes to the wall and ignored her, willing her to just leave.

He had given up on her. It was sad, and hard to accept, but it was the truth. Everything he had seen, heard, and felt up to that point had just proven to him that he had lost her completely. _But I love her, _he thought bitterly, glimpsing her edging closer in his peripheral vision. God, she was beautiful, even with her hair sticking out in all directions, and the crumpled t-shirt and capris she had put on. But then, in Jet's eyes, she was always beautiful. _Stop thinking like that! _He chastised himself, ignoring her once again. What good would it do for him? He was nothing more than a friend to her.

He shifted his position on the bed and groaned as pain shot up his leg. Unfortunately for him, Gajeel had known exactly what he was doing when they had fought. Jet could remember being led out of the apartment, and then the Dragon Slayer rushing past them as they ambled down the hallway, running after their teammate with a look in his eyes that had stunned the orange-haired mage. It was one of pure emotion, something he had never expected to see. Had Levy really managed to affect the soulless man that strongly?

"Hey, Jet," Levy said, breaking his train of thought. She had snuck over to the other side of his bed, leaving him with no choice but to talk to her.

"Hi," he moved his gaze around the room, inspecting the dingy light bulb, the chips in the wall's paint, allowing it nowhere near her. "Droy's outside if you want to talk to him."

"I know," she replied. "He wasn't the person I wanted to talk to, though."

He granted her a sideways glance, and she took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm sorry, first of all. For not telling you about me and Gajeel, for never explaining any of it. I guess I was hoping you guys would get used to the idea for a while." Jet snorted derisively at this comment, but she continued as if he hadn't made a sound. "I should've made things clear. I promise though, from now on, I will be completely honest with you and Droy. That doesn't mean I wasn't being honest this morning! I was! Really!"

Levy bit her lip as she waited for a response, watching his expression very closely. Unbeknownst to her, he was in deep thought, considering everything that she had just said and everything that he had seen so far. It would hurt, but he could let her go. After all, as Droy would say, there were plenty of fish in the sea. But what about Gajeel? Was he really worthy of this wonderful, sweet girl who was so kind and giving? His eye caught hers, and then a small smile crossed his face, and she felt a rush of relief when he chuckled quietly, slightly shaking his head.

"Ah, jeez, what am I worrying about?" he asked to no-one in particular, focusing back on her. "If you're happy, I should be happy, right? And you can handle yourself. Don't get me wrong Levy, it's going to take me some time to adjust. Droy's much more mature than me; he handled it in a second. I need longer. So, please, give me a bit of time, okay?"

"Of course! Oh, thank you, Jet, thank you!" she leaned in to hug him but then recalled his injuries and shied away, instead choosing to pat his hand. "So no more fighting?"

"No more, I promise. Have you not seen me? I'm taking a vacation in this lovely bed right here. Now, do you want to take a seat and tell me the entire story, or do you want to go back out to your _lover_?"

She blushed at his choice of word-use, recalling her night with Gajeel, the memory of which only caused her to turn an even brighter shade of red. Jet thought nothing of it though, and patted the edge of his bed. She gladly sat down beside him, and then they began to talk.

* * *

><p>When Gajeel and Levy had entered the guild, the blue-haired mage had immediately strode off to the clinic, leaving the Dragon Slayer prey to the stares of every single mage in the guild. Stares that all said the same thing.<p>

_WE KNOW._

"Fuck!" Gajeel hissed under his breath as he sat at the table closest to him. He tried to swallow, but his throat was constricted too tightly. How had this happened? When had this happened? Judging by their immense interest in him, it couldn't have been too long ago. Oh hell, didn't they have work to do or something? His audience was now glowering at him, their eyes shooting daggers left and right. He could hear the fairies talking all around him, their annoying voices penetrating his bubble of nonchalance.

"I can't believe he did that to Jet!"

"A man should never hurt his comrade so badly!"

"Forget about that, what about the fact that he and Levy are together?"

"It can't be, it's insane!"

"Droy, c'mon, tell them! That's why he beat the shit out of Jet, right? He was trying to take Levy."

"…Something like that."

"Don't be shy, you told this story only an hour ago!"

"You guys, he's _right there_."

"Good for him! The bastard should enjoy this moment, attacking poor Jet so viciously."

"He took it way too far!"

"Weren't you listening to Droy? Jet's the one who started it."

_Gah! _Gajeel tried to block out their chatter, but they were far too loud. All he could do was pray that Levy would come out soon so he could get the hell out of there. _Fucking hell, I am going to MURDER Droy! _The stupid plant mage had to go and open his mouth and spill everything, didn't he? _I should have taped his mouth shut while I had the chance_. The sound of approaching footsteps brought him out of his reverie, and he watched the victim of his violent thoughts slide into the seat opposite his.

"I had to tell them, I'm sorry," Droy immediately apologized, shrinking back from the dirty look Gajeel was giving him. "How else could I explain Jet's injuries? You know I couldn't have hidden it."

"I don't know, I think it could have waited, don't you?"

"Calm down, it's not like I told them that you randomly bludgeoned him with a crowbar."

"Do you really want to take that tone with me right now?"

His question was met with silence, and he grinned triumphantly. It felt good to win. Not that he ever lost anything, of course, but it was still nice. As the sound of a cricket chirping nearby reached his ears, he realized that everybody had been listening in on the conversation.

"Oi, don't you all know how to mind your own fucking business?" he snarled, standing up and baring his teeth and those who caught his eye. He figured no-one would challenge him, but someone stepped forward.

"It is a man's duty to always be honest!" Elfman declared, raising a fist to his chest. "So tell us, are you and Levy really dating?"

The onlookers eagerly waited for Gajeel to respond, wondering whether or not he would actually deem them with an answer. Everyone was craning their necks forward, trying to get a better view of the scene. This was so much better than gossip: it was live-action drama right then and there. What was going to happen next? The Dragon Slayer was completely unpredictable.

He could see their excitement as well, and felt even more unwilling to say anything. The audience was becoming braver now, shouting out for him to answer already. Murmurs of agreement complimented them, and he could feel the urge to go wild and beat the crap out of every one of them right then and there. But then something clicked. _Wait a minute…they'll believe anything I say, won't they?. _He let out a sigh and looked away from Elfman, and everyone leaned towards him in anticipation.

"It's not just dating," he muttered, stifling his urge to burst out laughing. "We…we're engaged."

A startled silence filled the room, and jaws hung in disbelief. Elfman was the first to recover, and he looked at Droy accusingly. "You never told us that!" he exclaimed, his eyes just as wide as the plant mage's.

"I-I didn't know!" Droy stumbled, just as shocked as everyone else. That had to be a lie. It wasn't true. It was definitely a lie….Wasn't it?

"I just asked her before we came here," Gajeel admitted. "It was a spur of the moment thing. Jet made me realize I can't go another day without knowing that no-one will ever be able to take her away from me. We were going to go get a ring right after this. Is that what you all wanted to hear? God dammit! She wanted to tell you guys herself! Now she's going to be upset! I hope you're happy.

He scowled at them all, hoping they had bought the entire charade. And lucky for him, they had. Suddenly they are all at his feet, apologizing profoundly and begging for his forgiveness. The girls were swooning about how romantic the situation was, and the guys were all thumping him on the back, congratulating him. Droy was the only person who was still skeptical. Or maybe he was in shock. It was hard to disassociate his confused thoughts from each other.

And then when Levy came out of the clinic, it got even better.

* * *

><p>Levy stepped into the guild's main hall, and froze when she realized that she was being watched. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rising, and couldn't help but be relieved when Gajeel walked in front of her and blocked her from everyone's view.<p>

"Just play along," he whispered, taking her hand in his. Puzzled, she allowed him to maneuver her down to the center of the room, where her friends had left a big circle of space just for the two of them. "Levy, I'm so sorry, but they know." He announced it loudly, making sure everyone could hear.

"They know?" the small mage repeated, now completely and utterly mystified. The Dragon Slayer nodded grimly.

"They know about the engagement. I'm sorry, I know how much you wanted to tell them!"

"They know…about the engagement?" _The engagement? THE ENGAGEMENT? WHAT?_

"Levy-chan, we're so sorry!" Mirajane cried, running over and taking the girl into her arms. "We forced Gajeel to tell us! He didn't want to, I'm so sorry!"

_They…they think we're engaged? _Levy stole a glance at her 'fiancée'. It flashed across his face so quickly she almost hadn't seen it, but it had been there - that small, evil smirk of his that told her all she needed to know. _Oh. My. God. He is pure evil! _Even while she thought that, she couldn't help but feel a wicked rush course through her veins. So Gajeel wanted to have a little fun. Well that didn't mean she couldn't also enjoy it.

"You guys, that was so mean of you," she pouted, her eyes drooping downwards. Their cries of regret washed over her hears like a tidal wave, and suddenly they had all pounced on her, showering her with a hailstorm of congratulations and apologies. "Woah, woah, calm down! It's okay, it's okay! I forgive you!"

She watched Gajeel squeeze through the horde to reach her, amazed at what a difficult task it proved to be. When he finally got through, he slid his arm around her waist and drew her in close to him. "Would you all mind letting us leave now? I want to get that ring already."

As if by magic a path cleared for them, and they had to contain their laughter until they were out of the guild and onto the streets. Making sure to get well out of the mages' range of hearing, they let it all out, desperately gasping for breath as their lungs starved for air and their stomachs began to ache.

"You're…You're awful!" Levy wheezed, a bout of giggles escaping her once more.

"Hey, you chose to play along, remember?" Gajeel reminded her, his cheeks aching from the smile that seemed to be plastered to his face.

"It was all your idea though!" she wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes, planting a light kiss onto his lips. "We'll have to tell them the truth sooner or later. I wonder what Lucy would've said if she had been there. Speaking of which, have you seen her and Natsu anywhere lately?"

"Am I supposed to care about where they go?"

"They are your comrades, too."

"Please. I only care about you."

"That's not necessarily a good thing!"

"Hey, I can't help it! When a guy's in love, he's in love!"

The air around them became still and a pin drop silence followed as the two realized what had just been said.

"Did you just say –?"

"No!"

"But I'm pretty sure…"

"You don't know what you're talking about. It must have been the wind."

Levy's heart was thumping against her ribcage, threatening to burst right out of it. He said he loved her. Gajeel loved her! Never had she once heard him say anything that remotely suggested that he was in love with her. All of a sudden her world was spinning, and she felt his strong arms catch her before she could fall to the ground.

"Hey, calm down!" he exclaimed, embarrassment coloring his words.

"Awww, that's so cute!" she teased, playfully poking his cheek. "You're embarrassed!"

"I could drop you right now, you know."

"I love you, too."

"…What?"

"You heard me. I love you, too! There! Still embarrassed?"

He couldn't look her in the eye, and stood her straight before he let her go, turning so that his back was facing her instead of his face, which was stuck in an expression of both bewilderment and exhilaration. She refused to let this stand, popping up in front of him every time he looked away. Finally, she took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her, as he had done so many times before.

"Something wrong?" she asked, a sly smile playing on her lips. He allowed himself to look into her eyes and surprised her by pulling her in into a deep, soft kiss, one that she could still feel long after they pulled apart.

"Shhh," he put a finger to her lips and grinned. "Let's enjoy the moment while it lasts." She nodded and drew in closer, entwining her fingers with his. He was right. This moment, it was beautiful. It was perfect. They should just close their eyes and let it pass peacefully, leaving them with a memory they could look back upon for ages to come. But upon second thought, that would be disappointing, doesn't it?

"Screw that, Gajeel! Why shouldn't it last longer? This moment never has to end."


End file.
